


The Devil You Know

by Pellaaearien



Series: In Other Words [3]
Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: F/M, Identity Reveal, Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV) Devil Reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-10
Updated: 2018-03-09
Packaged: 2019-03-16 02:47:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13626984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pellaaearien/pseuds/Pellaaearien
Summary: “Detective, it is not my intent to frighten you. In fact, that’s why I’ve been putting this off for so long.” He hesitated for a moment, sucking in a shallow breath. “But, you are a woman of logic and reason. You require proof. So I’m going to give it to you.”A week ago, Lucifer confessed his love to Chloe. Now it's time for her to know the whole truth.





	1. No one is coming out of this unscathed

**Author's Note:**

> The reveal fic! This takes place in season 2, between episode 16 ("God Johnson") and 17 ("Sympathy for the Goddess"). I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Eternal gratitude and undying love to wollfgang and ariaadagio for the beta read! You both rock!

“Chloe, might I request some of your time this evening?” Lucifer inquired. It was odd, but so was he, so she rolled with it.

“Sure. Trixie’s at Dan’s and Maze is off bounty hunting, so you can come to my place. Or did you want me to come over?”

“Your house would be preferable,” Lucifer answered. “Perhaps it would be best if the child was not present,” he added, almost to himself.

“What was that?” Chloe asked.

His answering smile looked forced. “Just… thinking aloud, Detective. I shall see you later.” He bowed slightly and walked away.

Chloe shook her head. If he were any other man, she’d think he was trying to get into her pants, but this was Lucifer. He’d been at it since day one, and he didn’t bother with subtlety. Maybe this was a new approach he was trying now that they were sort of in a relationship.

She drove home, still pondering. Did she want to take the next step with Lucifer? He was still refusing to let her tell him she loved him, but it was the inevitability of it all progressing down that road that made her hesitate. Her refusal to sleep with him had been one of the foundations of their relationship for so long it felt strange to think about breaking down that barrier.

She still hadn’t come to a conclusion by the time he arrived at her door, looking unwontedly tentative. “Chloe,” he said.

When he didn’t barge in like he usually did, she pulled him in for a kiss, because that was something that they did now. He clung to her much longer than the casual gesture warranted, like it was the first time. No: like it was the last time.

Stung by the thought, she pulled back, leaving Lucifer still standing in the doorway like he was waiting for her to kick him out.

“Lucifer, what’s going on? You’re acting weirder than usual.” Why did it feel like he was saying goodbye?

“Detective. Chloe.” He clasped his hands in front of him. “I have never lied to you. I’ve told you nothing but the truth from the very beginning. But if I’m being honest with myself, it was easier for me to allow you to continue in ignorance, because… Well.” He shrugged, though the gesture was anything but casual.

“That will no longer suffice now that we have become more… involved.” He spoke as if by rote. “For better or worse, I knew exactly what I was getting into, and the same cannot be said for you. So I’m going to fix that, right now. It’s past time.” He paused as though a thought had just occurred to him. “Perhaps you should sit?”

“Okay.” Bemused, Chloe did as he suggested and went into the living room, sinking down onto the couch. Whatever Lucifer was about to do, it sounded serious. She didn’t think this was about sex.

Nodding to himself, Lucifer pulled up a chair, ensuring that the coffee table was between them. Before he sat, he pulled out his flask.

“Lucifer, just show me what you need to show me, I don’t need anything to drink.” She figured it would be best to keep a level head, whatever this was.

“Well, I do,” he retorted, taking a swig before sitting down, resting his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward.

“Detective, it is not my intent to frighten you. In fact, that’s why I’ve been putting this off for so long.” He hesitated for a moment, sucking in a shallow breath. “But, you are a woman of logic and reason. You require proof. So I’m going to give it to you.”

Chloe just nodded. What proof could he have to show her, after all this time?

Lucifer nodded too. “Now, before we begin. I want you to understand that your child is safe with Daniel. I don’t know where he lives, and she will come to no harm from me.” He sounded grave. Her brows drew down.

“Of course I know that, Lucifer. You’d never hurt Trixie.”

Lucifer smiled a little, but there was nothing happy about his expression. He looked almost… wistful, like he was listening to a child saying something hopelessly naive. “I just want you to keep that in mind, all right?”

Despite herself, Chloe was starting to get a little anxious. Any thought that this might be one of his elaborate jokes or anything similarly innocent disappeared as soon as he’d mentioned Trixie.

“Lucifer.” She reached out and caught one of his hands, which was difficult, given the space he’d established between them. “Whatever it is that you want to show me, or that you want to tell me, it’s okay. I’m here for you.”

He looked at her, eyes burning with emotion she couldn’t put a name to. Now she was a little frightened, if she was being honest.

“This is why I want to show you,” he said quietly, as she sat back. “You, of all people, deserve to know the truth. So - I am going to show you my true face.”

“Your _true…_ ” It was like her brain had pressed pause, unwilling to work through the implications of the words. He nodded again.

“Yes. I’ve only attempted this once before and it didn’t go very well at all, so this time around I’m doing my best to be a responsible, well, me. As a last precaution, I give you my vow that I will not move from this spot until you tell me to leave. I will not approach you. You know that my word is my bond, so I _hope_ this will help you feel safe.” There was an edge of desperation in his words, like he already knew it would be futile.

“Okay,” Chloe managed at last. At this point she couldn’t imagine that anything he had to show her would frighten her more than this buildup had. It was unnerving to see him so shaken. “I’m here for you, Lucifer,” she reminded him.

He smiled again and it was a little more genuine. “Then once and for all, I’d like to show you who I really am.” He sat back a bit, taking a deep breath as though steeling himself, his expression turning ever so slightly self-deprecating. “For what it’s worth, I am sorry, Chloe.”

Then his face disappeared.

 

The first thought Chloe had wasn’t a thought at all. Just primordial instinct, awakening after thousands of years of evolution. _Danger. Run. Escape._ Her whole body tensed, ready for flight.

But nothing attacked her. There was no anger or bloodlust in the red eyes that bored into hers; instead a very real sadness, almost a gentleness. It looked so incongruous on that ravaged face that it shocked her out of her initial, primal response and into something more measured before she’d had a chance to move.

Her instincts continued shrieking at her. _Devil. Devil_. There had to be something, some aura, some imprinted biological memory, because the face didn’t match any depictions of the Devil she’d ever seen. Still, there could be no doubt.

The Devil was real.

And he was sitting in her living room.

Chloe’s subconscious couldn’t decide on an expletive strong enough so it settled for all of them at once.

They said your life flashed before your eyes before you died. Chloe had never experienced such a thing herself, but apparently it also happened when you found out that your partner was the _actual Devil_. Every interaction they’d ever had played on fast-forward through her mind.

_Lucifer. Morningstar._

_Is that a stage name or something?_

_God-given, I’m afraid._

_I got it. I got it! The name, the whole Lucifer thing, and desire’s like your superpower._

_More like a gift from God, really._

_I’m sure where he’s going, the pain’s coming._

_No, it’s not, actually, because I’m here-_

_I could add an ironic twist, like I used to when I ran Hell._

Oh. _Oh. OH._

It kept going, round and round and round in her head until she thought it would burst.

The Devil? Real thing. Which meant...

God? Real thing.

Heaven and Hell? Real things.

_Fuck. Shitfuckfuck-_

Suddenly, she realized the burns and scars had been replaced by skin, and Lucifer (the Devil) was sitting across from her again. She took a deep breath, feeling like she hadn’t breathed since her world was turned upside down.

“Take your time, Detective,” Lucifer (the Devil) said quietly. As promised, he hadn’t stirred from his seat. She was glad, as she wasn’t quite sure what she’d do if he tried to move right now. She calculated how quickly she could get to her gun and then just as quickly felt ashamed of the thought.

_Does it scare you?_

_How could I be scared of something I don’t believe in?_

_Do I scare you?_

It appeared she’d have to rethink her answer to that first question now because her belief wasn’t a requirement any longer - like it or not, the proof sat right in front of her. The jury was still out on the answer to his second question, but thinking of their conversation in the stakeout car so long ago provided her with something to say at last.

“You lied to me,” she blurted out. Lucifer looked stricken.

“Never. I always told you exactly who I was, and even encouraged you to confirm my identity on multiple occasions.”

“You told me…” Air still seemed to be an issue. “You said you couldn’t offer anything obvious as proof.”

He frowned; Chloe couldn’t help but see his true face on top of the human one like an overlay, or an afterimage. “Not as proof,” he said finally, and they both knew it for the evasion it was. “My true face… is a punishment, both for me and the people I show it to. I never _wanted_ to show it to you; you don’t deserve it. Why do you think I was so eager for you to test my blood?”

Chloe wished she had, now.

“So.” It felt bizarre to even be sitting here, discussing this. “God is real.”

Lucifer grimaced. “He is, yes.”

“And you.” Chloe refused to consider God any further when she was still wrapping her head around the Devil. Lucifer looked at her. “Why are you here?”

“It's not the Apocalypse,” her best friend assured her seriously, and this was her life now. “Not yet, anyway.”

“What-?” She hadn’t even considered that far yet, and now it was all she could think about. “No, I meant…”

He exhaled in a big gust. “I got bored,” he said at last, and that sounded more like the Lucifer she knew.

“You got _bored,”_ Chloe echoed, trying to buy her brain time to catch up. “With _being in charge of Hell_.”

“Yes, I spent millennia there as punishment and decided I’d had enough,” he explained, in the same tone she’d use to say she’d chosen a different restaurant after seeing a long line at the first one. Chloe opened and closed her mouth a few times.

“So what do you want with me?” she asked, a little faintly. His eyebrows drew together in the confused expression that had always struck her as slightly childlike. Knowing now that it belonged to such an ancient being threw Chloe further. She was going to have to re-examine everything she thought she knew about him.

“I’m not sure I follow, Detective,” he said at last, and Chloe knew an evasion when she heard one.

“I mean, ever since we met, you’ve had a strange connection to a bunch of our cases. You keep trying to… to _tempt_ me at every turn.” Lucifer stiffened, but Chloe was past caring. “When we met, you told me you liked to play…  Is this just some kind of _game_ to you?”

Lucifer raised his hands in a placating gesture. “No. Detective, no, I assure you, that is not the way of it.”

“Well, what am I supposed to think?” Chloe demanded, standing without actually moving any closer to him. “You saved my life when we first met. Am I supposed to be repaying you for that?” A new thought struck her. “Was I supposed to die that day?” She was spiralling, twisting at the mercy of confusion, shock, betrayal.

Lucifer adopted the annoyed expression she was so familiar with.

“I’m the Devil, darling, not the bloody Grim Reaper,” he said, sounding a little forced. Chloe barely heard him. It was all crashing down on her at once, how much time they’d spent together, how involved the _Devil_ had become in her life.

“My daughter…” It was nearly a whimper. “My family…” She couldn’t have said what she was feeling. She’d trusted him so completely. Now...

When she looked back at Lucifer, a pall of resignation had settled over his features. “You are mistaken about my intentions, Detective, though I can’t fault you for thinking that way. Just tell me to leave, and I’ll go.”

Still caught in the throes of her realization, Chloe couldn’t make sense of the words at first. “You’re the one who’s still sitting in the chair.”

Lucifer’s composure began to crack, almost imperceptibly. “No, Detective, you have to actually ask me to leave.”

Chloe stared at him. “What, is the Devil some kind of reverse vampire or something?”

Lucifer spread his hands helplessly. “I promised I wouldn’t move from this chair until you told me to go.” His voice was strained. “That was our agreement.”

 _And he never backs out on a deal_ , Chloe remembered. She’d known he valued honesty but had forgotten under the shock of _oh-shit-it’s-the-Devil._ His word was his bond - that was literal for him. She thought back over the previous few moments. She hadn’t implied that she wanted him to move, and so he wouldn’t. Simple as that.

She looked at him. He sat there with the slightest quiver, only visible because of her trained powers of observation, and suddenly she didn’t require any further proof that he was no more danger to her or her family than he had been before he’d revealed the truth. The fact of his behaviour hadn’t changed, only the why.

And if he’d been telling the truth about this, maybe she could believe him when he said he had no ulterior motive in getting closer to her.

She approached him hesitantly. She’d felt safe with him before. Now she didn’t know how to feel. Lucifer’s eyes widened with shock. He’d expected her to tell him to leave.

“But I don’t want you to leave,” she said, and it was even mostly the truth. “I want to talk this out. It’s… a lot to take in.”

Lucifer surprised her by shifting ever so slightly away from her advance, and she stopped at once, thrown again. Why was _Lucifer_ acting unnerved? She frowned.

“It’s okay; you can get out of the chair,” she told him. “I’m not going to freak out. There’s no reason to hurt yourself.” She hadn’t really been trying for levity, and her words fell flat in any case. Lucifer carefully eased himself away so that he stood on the other side of the chair from her. He regarded her, dubious.

“There, see?” She gave Lucifer a tiny smile. He did not return it.

“You’re taking this exceptionally well, Detective,” he said, sounding almost suspicious.

Chloe shrugged. “It wasn’t like I didn’t always know something weird was up with you,” she said at last. “Sure, it’s a shock. A big shock. Actually, I think I left shock behind several panics ago. Maybe it’s because I’m a cop, or maybe it hasn’t really hit me yet, but I’m reasonably calm right now, so I want to find out as much as I can, just in case.”

Lucifer was still looking at her like she was babbling nonsense. “Why bother continuing with this farce?” he asked, tone dripping bitterness. “I’d rather you just told me to go, Detective. I don’t see the merit in continuing to burden you with my presence any longer.”

Chloe stared at him in surprise. She would have thought he might have a more positive reaction to someone not screaming in terror when they saw that face.

“Lucifer…” Halfway through it suddenly struck her, what the name she’d been throwing around so casually for the past two years actually meant, and she faltered.

“I think it would be better if I go, Detective,” Lucifer said. Chloe couldn’t fathom what was making him so uncomfortable, but she couldn’t spare the mental energy to puzzle it out.

“Okay,” she said, and he let out a deep sigh. “I’ll let you leave on one condition.” His eyes snapped back to hers. “I don’t want you skipping town.” She clenched her fists unconsciously, trying to present as firm a front as possible. “You don’t get to drop a bombshell like this and then vanish. I want to actually talk about this. I’m coming over to your place tomorrow morning.”

The look Lucifer gave her was unreadable, but finally he nodded. “Very well, Detective.” Then he was gone as though he’d never been, the door swinging slightly open in his wake. His Corvette revved, and the sound had almost faded away before Chloe registered what had happened.

_Right. Super speed._

Huffing a laugh, she collapsed onto the arm of the sofa, feeling like she was waking from a dream. So much had changed in such a short period of time. A light breeze blew the door open wider, and she moved mechanically to close it. It felt like just a blink of time ago that she’d welcomed Lucifer in and kissed him ( _kissed the Devil!)_ , still dithering over whether or not she wanted to have sex with him ( _sex with the Devil!!)_

Yet such trivial concerns seemed distant in the face of her new reality. The religion that she’d never had much use for her entire life was now  _i_ _ntimately_ literal, because her partner (work, and also potentially romantic) was _the actual Devil._

Chloe put a hand to her head. Lucifer had been onto something; she sought out the bottle of whiskey she kept for the aftermath of the roughest cases and set it in front of her with a satisfying thump, regarding it contemplatively. She’d been wrong about needing the drink. She wasn’t sure there was enough alcohol in the world to temper _I_ _-just-found-out-the-Devil-is-real_ days, but that wouldn’t keep her from trying.


	2. We must have got it wrong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of an earlier update for you this week since I'll be away all weekend! The response to the previous chapter absolutely blew me away, thank you, each and every one! <3 I'm so glad you like this story, and I hope you'll continue to enjoy the saga!

Chloe woke with an epic hangover the next morning. Though, to call it waking would be a bit of a stretch, as waking would imply that _sleeping_ had occurred. But there hadn’t been much of that happening amidst the tossing and turning, the reinterpreting of half-remembered conversations, and at least three existential crises.

She dragged herself out of bed, brewed herself a pot of the strongest coffee she could manage, and popped a couple of ibuprofen for good measure. She was housemate free and caseless, and self-medicating certainly wasn’t how she’d been expecting to spend her morning, but she wasn’t about to let her body’s weakness prevent her from getting answers.

Then she drove to Lux.

 _Okay, Chloe,_ she instructed herself in her rearview mirror. _It’s just Lucifer. Your best friend. You’re going to his house to get answers. You’ve done it lots of times before. Don’t freak out._ Even as she did so, she suspected that no words would be sufficient to normalize the fact that she was headed to the house of the _literal Devil_.  

Her fingers shook as she pressed the button to call the elevator. Taking deep breaths as the floors passed, she told herself her jitters were from all the caffeine. _He’s still Lucifer_ , she repeated, over and over. _It’s only Lucifer. Nothing’s changed._ Now if only she could make herself believe it.

The doors opened to the familiar penthouse, and she let out a breath. She’d half-expected it to look like it had when she’d come over after her poisoning, all white sheets and emptiness. There had also apparently been a part of her expecting it to look different, somehow, now that she knew, which was frankly ridiculous.

Sunlight poured in through the windows, illuminating the thin trail of smoke rising from an ashtray resting on top of the piano. A bottle filled with amber liquid sat next to the ashtray, but there was no accompanying glass. She shook her head. Lucifer (the Devil) raised day drinking to an art form, bragging about his supernatural metabolism and how he needed a full day of buildup to achieve a decent buzz. She no longer doubted him.

The man in question stood on the balcony, staring out over the city, glass in hand. He looked undressed in only a shirt and slacks, strangely vulnerable without his armor of designer jackets and vests. The stiff set of his shoulders indicated that he’d heard her arrive, but he made no other sign.

Not having to see his face right away was easier, Chloe had to admit.

“Why did you run away?” Chloe ventured, taking a step further into the room. “I thought that was _my_ job.”

Lucifer didn’t laugh. He didn’t even turn around. “I just can’t. I can’t do it anymore. I told you I loved you…”

“Yes, you did. And I’ll admit, the fact that the _actual Devil_ said he was in love with me threw me for a bit of a loop…” That was an understatement. The vast majority of the previous night’s sleeplessness had been devoted to attempting to sort out her romantic involvement with the Devil himself.

He didn’t reply until she reached the doors to the balcony.

“I’m sure it did.” Lucifer’s voice dripped bitterness. Chloe wondered again that their roles appeared to have been reversed. “I told you, knowing that our partnership would end as soon as I revealed the truth. But you…”

Chloe’s brow furrowed. “Why is that a bad thing?”

“Because there’s no way it can possibly be real!” Lucifer burst out, spinning to face her at last. Chloe held her ground. Lucifer might be acting standoffish, but she could still hear the echo of his words outside the lab, so long ago. _This is real, isn’t it?_ She could see past the mask he presented, see that those words haunted him, even if she wasn’t quite sure why.

“What do you mean?” she asked carefully. “I want to understand.”

Lucifer sighed. “I didn’t want to tell you this. I’m telling you now because you deserve the truth, because we’ve gone too far now for me to bother keeping it from you.” He steeled himself. “Detective, my Father sent Amenadiel to bless your parents in order to create you.”

Chloe stared.

“He put you in my path. All of this, everything that’s happened, everything you’re feeling…” He closed his eyes, and Chloe shivered. He never shied away from the truth. “It’s not real. It’s all a manipulation from my Father.”

“Bullshit.” The word was out before Chloe could stop it. Lucifer’s jaw clenched.

“How could it be otherwise? I’m the Devil!” He opened his eyes again, the faintest trace of hellfire flashing in them. She gasped. That was going to take some getting used to. As if she’d needed a reminder of who exactly she was dealing with. It was so hard to remember that the anger wasn’t directed at her - any quip she might have made vanished like smoke.

Lucifer backed off immediately. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Chloe.”

Her heart constricted. He should have no reason to sound so careful around her. “It’s okay.” She took a slow step to close the distance, wanting to touch him, but afraid to push him too far. “Lucifer, it’s okay.”

“This is exactly what I mean,” Lucifer said, his voice low and taut. “It is in no way _okay_. And the fact that you think so is just further proof of-”

“What?” Chloe felt like she was getting whiplash. “Of what?”

Lucifer’s eyes were back to their usual brown, holding an oddly desperate look. “Detective. You’ve seen my face.” He spoke urgently, like he was begging her to understand. “By rights, you should be far away from here by now. But since you’re not, I can only assume that something - or _Someone_ \- is keeping you here.”

“Someone?” Chloe echoed. “What, are you saying _God_ can… make people feel things?” It was hard even just to say His name.

Lucifer shrugged, but the undercurrent of distress beneath the casual gesture couldn’t have been more obvious. “People, or you in particular…”

She shook her head sharply. It was too much. She’d never believed in God, and now He was apparently directing her every move? She couldn’t decide what she wanted to address first.

“Could we, maybe… sit down?” she asked weakly. Lucifer ground his teeth, like he wanted to snap at her, but gave in and indicated the couch instead.

Chloe sat down hard, mind racing, while Lucifer went to pour them drinks as if on autopilot. He set a mug in front of her, and Chloe had to stare at it for a second before registering the fact that it was tea.

“You _own_ tea?” she asked, looking up at him, and yes, this was what she was most surprised about.

Lucifer nodded. “I’d prefer to have this conversation with you sober, Detective,” he said, “and tea is supposed to have… calming properties.”

It was yet another example of Lucifer’s particular brand of kindness: she certainly didn’t need or want any more alcohol, nor coffee, but she needed something to do with her hands, and this tea was just right.

Chloe took a careful sip, smiling with gratitude as Lucifer sat across from her with his own drink (scotch, of course). She felt the warmth of the liquid spread through her body, grounding her before she continued.

“So let me get this straight. I only exist… because of Amenadiel?” she said. Lucifer nodded again, watching her warily. Chloe blew out a shaky breath. That was going to make things awkward when she saw him next. “Your Father - _God_ \- created me specifically to meet you. To… develop feelings for you.”

Lucifer nodded again. Chloe shook her head, taking a gulp of her tea. She had so many other questions, yet her focus kept returning to this, looping like a broken record. “So all of my life before… being an actress, becoming a cop, marrying Dan… _Trixie._ ” And just like that, her mind quieted.

Lucifer misinterpreted her silence. “Yes, Detective, it was all part of my Father’s manipulation.” He sounded like he was barely holding himself together. “And it’s awful and despicable and you deserve so much better-”

“ _T_ _rixie_ ,” Chloe said again, and Lucifer blinked. “If this hadn’t… she wouldn’t exist.” The question of why, if she was put on Earth to meet Lucifer, she hadn’t met him before she’d met and married Dan was inconsequential in the light of what that meeting had produced. Her daughter. The most important person in the entire universe. No matter the reason, she couldn’t not be grateful to have her in her life.

“Well… that’s true, I suppose.”

Which brought up another point. “Trixie, Lucifer.” Chloe repeated. Lucifer looked at her as though he was afraid she really had gone mad.

“As you keep saying…” he replied slowly. Impatient, Chloe shook her head.

“If I really was put on Earth to meet you, why wouldn’t I have met you before I met Dan? Or never met Dan at all, since we had Trixie before you…” _Left Hell._ The words still wouldn’t come out of her mouth. “ _Arrived_.”

Lucifer still wore his flummoxed expression, saying nothing. She was going to have to do all the legwork, as usual.

“Lucifer, you’re LA’s most notorious playboy. I can’t think of anyone who would cramp your style more than a single mother. It’s why I held back from you for so long. Hell, I almost got back together with Dan!” She realized the irony of her words a half-second too late and decided to push past it.

“Why would God create someone like me for you? I’m practically the opposite of anyone you’d be interested in.” She met his startled eyes, assailed by sudden doubt. “Or are your feelings a manipulation, too?”

Lucifer stood up to begin pacing. “No. Yes. I - I don’t know.” He let out his breath in a big gust. “How else am I supposed to interpret it? Other than my Father knowing that opposites would attract?” He stood stock-still, gazing intently into her eyes. “My feelings for you are real. Never doubt that. But I can’t accept the fact that my Father had a hand in it. That’s not fair to you.”

Chloe stared back, overwhelmed. She tried another tack.

“How long have you known?” she asked quietly. The idea that he might have known since the beginning and kept it from her left her feeling cold.

Lucifer flopped back onto the couch with another sigh. “Since the case with the Professor. I found out right before we discovered your poisoning.”

“Oh.” She couldn’t think of anything else to say. She remembered now he’d been shouting as he barged into her bathroom - in her defense, she’d been a bit distracted at the time. _Did you know? This whole time, did you know?_ He’d found out right after they’d finally taken the leap. That seemed… unnecessarily cruel, somehow. And yet he’d still stopped at nothing to save her life. _The Devil had saved her life_. And not just the once.

 _Later_ , she told herself. _Freak out later._ “Oh _,_ ” she breathed again. “Candy.” A tic jumped in Lucifer’s jaw. “Lucifer, you… You married Candy so I’d get over you?” It sounded absolutely outrageous. It sounded _exactly_ like something Lucifer would do.

“I _will not_ allow you to be manipulated, Detective.” Lucifer’s voice was nearly a growl. “Not because of me.”

“Okay, but…” Mind still reeling from the implications, Chloe tried to keep herself on track. “If this is all some plan…” _Of God’s_ , she didn’t say. Some things were just too big to put into words. “Then, how does you finding out about it play into it?”

“I don’t know!” Lucifer’s voice cracked like a whip. He was up and pacing again. “I found out because of my Mum… Was I even supposed to find out in the first place? Once I did, was Dad expecting me to reject you? Let you die?” His voice wavered over the word. “Am I still following His plan or not?”

 _His Mother_ … Chloe filed that away for later, refusing to let herself be diverted. This was more important.

“But why? I mean, what would be the point? Making us-” _fall in love with-_ “care for each other?” She expected another outburst, but Lucifer’s reply was subdued.

“I don’t know, Detective,” he said, and it struck Chloe that she’d never heard him so uncertain of anything before. “My Father’s always been a proponent of the long game. Is it to make me vulnerable, so I’ll go back to Hell?” His face shuttered, like he hadn’t meant to say so much.

“Vulnerable… Hell…” Just when Chloe thought she had a handle on things they expanded again. She gaped at Lucifer, hearing his words from so long ago. _If it’s any consolation to your pride… it appears you make me vulnerable, too_. And then, radio silence for three weeks.

“I make you vulnerable,” she breathed. She’d never imagined it could be literal. The shock on his face when she’d shot him…

She surged out of her chair, unsure of where she was going, just needing to be in motion.

“Detective?” Lucifer sounded resigned, and she realized he’d been waiting for her to flee since he’d shown her the truth. Pushing that thought down, she discovered she was standing behind the couch, gripping the back.

“You can get hurt because of me.” She felt like she was going to be sick. “You _have_ gotten hurt because of me.” Suddenly she was back in the airplane hangar, watching a pool of scarlet blooming against the dirty pale floor. “You almost _died_ because of me.” She clapped a hand over her mouth, trying to keep from throwing up as endless scenes of Lucifer bleeding paraded through her mind.

“Detective!” Lucifer made an abortive movement toward her, and she stumbled away, uncertain. How far away did she have to be to keep him safe? He froze, arm half-outstretched towards her.

“How far?” she demanded, eyes jumping to his face. “How far away do I have to be?”

“I don’t know exactly,” he replied, sounding baffled. “About as far away as you were with the professor.”

“So that’s how you…” Chloe knew that she would be spending another night like the previous one, drinking herself into a stupor as she put all the pieces into place, but she refused to let herself lose focus. _I make the Devil vulnerable_. She continued to back away. “Okay. Okay, I’ll stay away…” She couldn’t think of anything except that Lucifer was in danger while he was with her. It felt like her heart was being wrenched out of her chest, but his safety was paramount.

“Detective. Chloe…” Lucifer dropped his arm, keeping his tense posture. “Not that I want to argue with you, because I still think you staying away would be the best thing for everyone. But…” There was almost a hunger in his gaze as he looked at her. “How is _this_ what you’re taking the most issue with? It’s old news; I came to terms with it a long time ago.”

With a shock, Chloe realized he was right. The case with the Dunlear Foundation had been over a year ago. “How is it _not_ an issue for you?”

To her surprise, a soft smile graced Lucifer’s face. “You humans seem to manage.”

“But you’re not. Human. Why would you keep working with me, once you knew?”

His smile disappeared. “The same reason I came back after I married Candy. I didn’t want to stay away.” His voice was bitter. “Maybe that’s what Dad was counting on.”

“You almost died…” Chloe’s mind kept returning to the scene in the hangar. The report of the gun, the way her heart had leapt to hear Lucifer’s voice again. “You…” Chloe’s eyes widened. She’d been giddy with relief and exhaustion at the time, so she hadn’t paid much attention to his actual words. It took her a moment to recall them.

_I thought he killed you._

_Oh, he did. I got better._

“You _did_ die.” She swallowed back bile. “Of course you did. You should at least have been passed out from blood loss, but you got up and walked around like you were fine. You didn’t even…” Somewhere far away, she became aware that she was hyperventilating, the fear that had never been truly buried resurfacing with a vengeance.

“Detective!” Lucifer seemed to be locked in an intense internal battle, torn between staying where he was and comforting her. He settled for edging closer. Chloe knew she ought to keep backing away from him but found she was quite incapable of movement. “It’s true,” he continued. “Yes, I did die, and I went back to Hell. That’s when Dad showed me Mum had escaped. We struck a deal; I would return Mum to Hell, and He would…” He broke off.

“He would what, Lucifer?” She met his eyes, only then becoming aware that she was crying. “Bring you back to life?”

“No.” Lucifer looked like the words were being dragged out of him, but he wouldn’t lie. He looked back at her steadily. “In exchange, He would protect you.”

Chloe felt the shock go through her entire body. “You… you asked Him for that?”

Lucifer grimaced. “In my defense, I hadn’t yet learned the full truth about you. I bet He was up there having a good laugh at my expense-”

He didn’t get any further. She threw herself into his arms, beginning to sob in earnest. He seemed hesitant about holding her in return, but Chloe was beyond caring. Heaven, Hell, angels, demons… None of it mattered. She owed Lucifer her life. Her daughter’s life. She couldn’t hold back any longer.

Gradually, she became aware that Lucifer was rubbing soothing circles against her back. It was the first time since the previous night that thought hadn’t been immediately corrected by _the Devil._ It wasn’t the Devil comforting her. It was Lucifer, her partner who had become her best friend.

As her sobs quieted, the rumble of Lucifer’s voice broke through them. “Chloe?” His voice carried the same tone of astonished disbelief, like he couldn’t quite accept that she was still there. Well. Time to disabuse him of that notion.

“Thank you,” she said firmly, looking up at him through streaming eyes. “Lucifer, I don’t care if you’re the Devil. You saved my life, and my daughter’s, too. I will always be grateful.”

Lucifer’s expression was fond, but sad. “You say that now.”

Chloe shook her head. “Listen, it’s a lot to take in. I’m not going to pretend like it isn’t. I’m not so naive to think that our relationship won’t have setbacks because of this. I know we’ve barely scratched the surface. But… what you’ve done for me, that also hasn’t changed. You’re still the best damned partner I’ve ever had, and you've more than proven yourself to me.”

She paused, as Lucifer gaped. His amazement was like a physical presence between them, stealing her breath. She had to gather air to continue. “If you don't think I know who you really are - _especially_ now that I know you've been telling the truth from the very beginning - you're wrong.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Expect the next chapter at the usual time next week!


	3. Such a mad, mad reckoning

Chloe sat back down and worked on finishing her tea, which was already halfway empty. Everything in her life had been upended and put back together again in such a short amount of time, she’d achieved a kind of zen state where she felt unnaturally calm. What she’d told Lucifer was true - she knew they’d barely scratched the surface, and she had so many more questions. But there was only so much truth she was equipped to handle, and she needed a breather.

Lucifer hadn’t taken up his place across from her - he was standing at the bar, affecting an air of studied nonchalance, and she knew she hadn’t convinced him that her acceptance of his true nature wasn’t part of some grand plan. She didn’t know what words would break down that wall, given that she couldn’t be sure herself that he didn't have a point. There was a part of her that did wonder if she was taking this too calmly, if there was the storm of a breakdown on the horizon. It didn’t feel like there was, but then again, what did she know? It’s not like there was a protocol for discovering your best friend really was the biblical Devil.

Her phone pinged, startling them both.

“It’s Dan,” Chloe said, sighing, feeling like she was surfacing for breath from some great depth. “He’s dropping Trixie off.” Her daughter the miracle. She was suddenly overwhelmed by a need to see her.

Lucifer gave her a searching look. “Go be with your spawn, Detective.”

 _Is that what angel babies are called? Or demon ones?_ Chloe bit back a laugh - she knew if she started, she’d never stop. So much about him made more sense now that she knew he wasn’t just putting it on.

She stood, moving closer to Lucifer under the guise of returning her mug to the bar. He stiffened, but stayed where he was. She set the cup down on the glass top, looking at her partner frankly. “I’m not running, Lucifer.” A gentle hand on his forearm revealed he was coiled like a spring, ready to explode. “Are you going to?”

Lucifer’s eyes flicked to hers and then away again. He didn’t answer. Chloe, with a pang, recognized the same signs as when she’d woken up in the hospital after her poisoning. She’d worded the question in such a way that he had to answer unambiguously. And as much as that was the kind of response she wanted, the possibility of him giving an affirmative made her hasten to reword.

“Okay, let’s try a different question. Are you planning on haring off to, say, Vegas sometime in the near future?”

Lucifer took a shuddering breath, shaking his head. Chloe nodded slightly. “Okay.” She moved towards the elevator, giving him space.

“Look, Lucifer, I get it. This is hard for you, too.” His head snapped up at that. “I’m not forcing you to do anything. You do whatever you need to.” She gestured vaguely at him. “Just remember.” She lifted her phone, indicating the promise he’d made, what felt like a million years ago. Lucifer nodded back, and Chloe smiled at him. “Thanks for the tea.”

The elevator doors closed before he moved or changed expression. Chloe hoped he wouldn’t run. Not when they were finally getting somewhere. As overwhelming as this was for her, she couldn’t imagine what he was thinking. She wondered if anyone had ever reacted favourably to the truth. Probably not, if Linda were any example. (Which reminded Chloe that she should probably give her friend a call.)

She drove home, looking around like it was her first time seeing the city. It was astonishing to her that the world kept on spinning, completely unchanged by the earth-shattering revelations that had taken place in her life. She felt like everything should look different, now that she knew that Heaven and Hell, the Devil, _God_ , all of it was real. But the truth was, _she_ was different, not the world. Nothing would ever be the same now.

Then she walked through her front door, and none of it mattered.

“Mommy!” An energetic bundle of eight-year old bounded into her arms, and Chloe held Trixie there, clinging tight. The memory of almost losing her rearing its head again made Chloe embrace her daughter a little bit longer. In this new world of angels and demons, Trixie was her anchor.

And speaking of demons…

“What’s up, Decker?” Chloe raised her head to look at Maze, not letting go of Trixie. In many ways, this was the real test. Lucifer, Chloe knew. She’d worked with him. She trusted him. Maze was Tribe, but in many ways still an unknown.

“Is something wrong, Mommy?” Trixie had cottoned on to the fact that this wasn’t a normal hug. Chloe shook her head and pressed her nose against her daughter’s shoulder, inhaling her scent.

“No, baby. Nothing’s wrong.” She stood to face Maze, still keeping hold of Trixie’s hand.

The demon’s expression settled into something still and quiet. “You know. He told you.”

Chloe nodded.

“Know what?” Trixie chirped innocently, looking between the two women.

“Lucifer told me his big secret,” Chloe told her daughter, kneeling down to her level again.

Her eyes widened. “He told you his magician secret?”

Chloe bit her lip. She hadn’t thought of what to tell Trixie yet. “Sort of, yeah.”

Trixie’s eyes grew even wider. “Whoa, he must really trust you then, doesn’t he, Mommy?”

The words made Chloe realize how true it was. “Yeah, I guess he does.” Whether or not Lucifer had assumed she would run, he’d trusted her enough to not continue keeping it from her. And he’d told her everything she’d asked, including information about his vulnerability and his deal with God.

Trixie, the little matchmaker, grinned widely, the way she always did when Chloe admitted that something had happened between her and Lucifer. She paused. Her eight-year-old kept trying to set her up with the Devil. What had her life become?

“That’s so cool!” her daughter was saying. “I wish I knew Lucifer’s secret. I only know about his scary eyes.”

Both Maze and Chloe’s heads snapped to look down at the child. Trixie had been about to run off after dropping that bombshell, but Chloe pulled her back.

“Hang on a sec, monkey. You know about Lucifer’s face?”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “Duh. He’s the Devil. He said so. Then he scared the mean girl for me.” She frowned, taking in the way both women were staring at her. “What? Was I not supposed to tell? _He_ tells everyone. Why would he do that if he didn’t want people to know?”

Chloe gaped. _Out of the mouths of babes_. For Trixie, it really would be that simple. If someone introduced themselves as the Devil, she would have no reason not to take them at their word.

“No, Trixie babe, you’re right,” Chloe said finally. “I just didn’t know he’d told you, that’s all.”

Trixie shrugged. “The internet’s really mean to Lucifer, Mommy. But he scared my bully and saved us from bad men. I don’t think those other people know him very well.”

Chloe could only nod.

Trixie ran off to play, no sign of an existential crisis in sight. Chloe wasn’t sure if she wanted to laugh or cry.

“The whole time,” she said faintly. “My daughter knew. The whole damn time.”

“Are we gonna have a problem, Decker?” Maze’s voice cut through Chloe’s bemusement. “When he showed Linda, she… didn’t take it too well, at first. You ok?”

“No,” Chloe said. Seeing Maze’s look, she hastened to clarify. “I mean, we’re not going to have a problem. I… I think I’m ok.” Chloe stood to face her demon roommate. “It's a lot to take in.”

Maze nodded. “You're already doing way better than Linda. She cut us off completely for a week.” Chloe privately thought that was a reasonable response. She braced herself, trying to think of a tactful way to broach the subject.

“Listen, Maze. You're Tribe, okay? It's just… I know Lucifer. I've worked with him. I trust him. I know we live together now, and I've left Trixie with you before, and it's been fine. I'm not saying I don't trust you. But we didn't always have the best relationship, and…”

“I'm still the same Maze,” her roommate said, but not without a certain amount of grudging respect. “It's not like I was just waiting for you to find out the truth to go berserk on your ass.” She adopted a vaguely submissive posture. “If it makes you feel any better, Decker, I will eviscerate anyone who attempts to harm the little human. Just as Lucifer would eviscerate me if I allowed any harm to come to her. To say nothing of what he would do to me if I attempted to harm her myself.”

Chloe knew that they were speaking literally now. She also knew that every word was the truth. “I believe you,” she said.

Maze nodded - vow given and received. “So how much did Lucifer tell you?” she asked, clearly considering the subject closed.

Chloe blinked, changing tacks. “Uh… he told me a lot,” she said honestly. “I think he was trying to see how much would make me run away.”

Maze snorted. “Yeah, I’ll bet. I also guarantee he didn’t tell you all of it.”

Chloe knew that was probably the case, even as her heart sank at the thought of even more difficult discussions. She shot Maze a speculative look. “Think you might be able to fill in some of the gaps for me?”

Her roommate smirked. “Depends. What did he tell you?”

Chloe exhaled in a big gust as Maze went into the kitchen. “Well… he showed me his true face. Last night.”

“He didn’t just spring it on you, did he?” Maze asked from the kitchen, as Chloe sank onto the couch.

“No, no. He was… very nervous. He did the best he could, I think.”

The sounds Maze was making paused briefly before resuming. “What happened then?” she prompted.

“Obviously,” Chloe said, “I was terrified for a second or two, but he made sure I knew I wasn’t in any danger. And I suppose I’ve always known, in a way. Otherwise I would’ve pushed harder for the truth. I needed the proof, but I didn’t worry too much about getting it. Probably because I knew deep down if I examined it too closely, something like this would happen, and I wasn’t ready for it.” She paused, remembering that single moment of pure, existential terror.

“It was more the thought that everything…” her voice trailed away. “I mean, I never believed in any of this stuff before. And now I know it’s all real…”

Maze set a drink in front of her, saying nothing. “Well, when I didn’t freak, he did,” Chloe continued. “He keeps going on and on about how I’m too accepting of this…”

“You are taking this really well, Decker,” Maze said, slinging back her own drink. “Which I’m sure Lucifer’s managed to turn into a bad thing.”

Chloe scoffed. “Yeah. You could say that.”

Maze shook her head. “Typical. He’s so blinded by his hatred for his Father he can’t see anything else.”

“His Father,” Chloe repeated. _“_ _God_ _.”_ It was still easier not to think about that part. She looked down at the tumbler between her hands, noticing it for the first time. “No,” she said firmly, setting it down untouched. “I don’t need more alcohol.” That was debatable, but she also knew she hadn’t eaten anything all day and that was bad.

“Trixie!” she called. “You hungry, babe?”

She ended up making grilled cheese sandwiches for all three of them, taking comfort in the familiar, mundane task. But after Trixie ran off to do her homework, Chloe found herself again regarding Maze across the counter.

“Ask, Decker,” Maze said, tossing back her third drink. “There’s no point keeping secrets now.”

Chloe dropped their plates into the sink, turning to stare back at the demon.

“Lucifer rebelled against _God?”_

Maze gave a harsh laugh. “Yeah, he just jumped ahead with half a plan the way he always does. If he’d actually thought it through, he might’ve pulled it off, or at least forced his Dad to listen to him. Things would’ve been real different around here, that’s for sure.” Snorting again at the look on Chloe’s face, Maze poured another drink, setting it in front of her.

“Change your mind about that drink yet?” she asked. “It doesn’t get any easier.” She pulled out her phone. “I’m calling Linda.” Chloe nodded numbly, still trying to wrap her head around her partner as one of the most powerful beings in the universe, able to go toe to toe with _God_. “If we’re going to get into the heavy stuff already I need someone to run interference. You humans are weird about your stories.”

*

“What about Jesus?” Chloe asked.

Linda had arrived bearing sangria and a supportive ear, and Chloe was several glasses in, asking questions she’d never thought she’d need to have the answers to.

They’d already covered the reason for Lucifer’s mysterious vulnerability around her (“Don’t know, don’t really care, but it’s nothing anyone’s ever seen before,”) and the fact that Lucifer’s Mother, Goddess of all Creation, was currently inhabiting the body of Charlotte Richards (all Chloe got was “ _That bitch_ ,” before quickly changing the subject). Maze’s laconic answers were occasionally punctuated by Linda’s sounds of encouragement, and both women were exactly what she needed.

With every new piece of information, Chloe understood more and more why Lucifer was the way he was. She hardly considered herself in a position to judge God, but kicking His son out for eternity just because He needed someone to rule Hell, as a parent herself, filled her with fury. And knowing that He was so uninvolved, and yet had apparently found time to meddle in her life, to use her as a tool to get to Lucifer, made her angrier still.

Weren’t humans supposed to be filled with wonder and awe by the revelation of the Divine? Chloe just felt annoyed.  

Maze shrugged, and Chloe dragged her mind back to her current question: what about Jesus. “We’d been Below for a while by that point, so it was actually a big shock to us when all these souls started turning up yelling about the Son of God and why they should be in Heaven. Not as big of a shock as it was to them to find out that lip service gets you exactly jack, and you can’t bluff your way out of punishment.” Maze grinned darkly. “You’d have to ask Lucifer for specifics, but I don’t think he knows much more either. He did sulk for a few decades when he found out God replaced him with a do-gooder half brother. Started going topside more after that.”

Chloe shook her head. The reminder that Lucifer was literally _as old as time_ was still a challenge to wrap her head around. _That’s one hell of an age gap_. She giggled slightly at her own thoughts before asking her next question.

“So, like, should I start going to church now or something?”

Linda nodded enthusiastically. “That’s exactly what I wondered!”

Maze scoffed. “Nah. The Big Guy knows everything, He doesn’t give a crap whether you go to some building every week; that’s something you humans came up with. I mean, sure, maybe He gets off on it, but He’s pretty hands-off. Besides, a lot of it didn’t even happen. Like, the Burning Bush? That was Lucifer.”

Chloe put her glass down before she dropped it. Linda wasn’t so lucky and spat out her wine, coughing. Chloe went into action, patting her on the back before whirling on Maze. “ _What?_ ”

Maze grinned lazily. “Oh yeah. That was one of his first trips topside. He wanted to see how much he could get away with, so he decided to meddle in human history a little bit. It all worked out fine until God ended up getting credit for it.” Her grin widened, sharpening like a blade. “That was a fun century. I don’t think he ever got over it.” Her face darkened. “Not that he didn’t deserve it, the arrogant prick.”

Chloe and Linda sat in stunned silence. Chloe wasn’t very familiar with the story, but she didn’t need to be to get the gist of what Maze was telling her.

“Wow.” She and the doctor exchanged glances. Somewhere far away Chloe noticed something was really bothering Maze but she couldn’t spare the mental energy to figure out what it was, too floored by the revelation to think about anything else. After another tense moment (which Chloe was glad of, as it gave her brain time to catch up), Maze moved on.

“So, I doubt He gives a shit whether you sing His praises every week. I mean, unless you want to, or whatever,” she allowed, and Chloe knew she was thinking about Ella.

Chloe snorted shakily. “Yeah, I doubt it would do me much good scoring brownie points, given that I am best friends with the Devil.” _And maybe more than friends_ , she thought, blushing. “Pretty sure that’s automatic damnation.” She should probably be more bothered about that than she was. Maybe it was the wine talking.

Linda pointed to herself. “Devil’s therapist,” she asserted, taking a long swig of wine. “At least you’ll have company.”

Maze shrugged philosophically - it was no skin off her back either way.

“So spill, Chloe,” Linda said suddenly, leaning forward. “I saw that blush. How do you feel about your relationship with Lucifer now that you know the truth?”

Chloe frowned, taking a sip of her wine. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Maze sit up straighter.

“It may not even matter,” she admitted, feeling a rush of relief at finally being able to discuss these things. “He's convinced that anything I feel is a manipulation by _God,_ so he won't let me try to address whatever it is between us.”

Maze made a derisive noise but Linda nodded sympathetically.

“Lucifer has very good reasons to feel the way he does. But I didn't ask you how Lucifer felt. I asked about your feelings. Are you open to continuing a romantic relationship with Lucifer?”

Chloe hesitated. There were definitely downsides to being friends with a therapist. Usually Linda tried not to break out her “work voice” around her friends but it seemed the combination of wine and curiosity had broken that rule.

Under her friends’ inquisitive stares, Chloe tried to drag her thoughts into some semblance of order. With her mind still whirring about God and Jesus and war in Heaven, she took a while to come down to the emotional level of two people who were maybe sort of in love.

“I don’t know,” she answered honestly.  “I mean, it’s… a lot to take in.”

“Of course it is,” Linda answered calmly. “It’s like he’s a completely different person now that you know.”

Chloe looked sharply at her friend. “What?” She had no idea Linda felt that way. Did she? Chloe thought about it some more.

Yes, the fact that he was the Devil cast a massive shadow, but Lucifer had been her friend for two years. They’d spent so much time together: on stakeouts, at each other’s houses, on cases… In all that time, he’d never given her any reason not to trust him. She’d never believed in the Devil, or any of the rest of it, and having to re-evaluate her entire worldview made it tempting to lump Lucifer in with everything else she’d been wrong about.

“I guess…” Chloe said slowly. “It just proves that he’s always been honest with me, even when I didn’t believe him.”

“Good; that’s good!” Linda encouraged, and Chloe shot her a dirty look.

“Did you just reverse psychology me?”

Linda took a sip from her glass. “Sometimes we need help accessing our true feelings amid extraneous confusion,” she said. When Chloe continued to glare at her, she shrugged. “It worked, didn’t it?”

Chloe threw up her hands in exasperation. “Well, yeah, but…” She made a frustrated noise. “ _The actual Devil_ said he was in love with me. I mean - what am I supposed to do with that? What does that even say about me?”

Linda’s eyes widened. “He said that?” She shook herself slightly before putting a hand on Chloe’s arm. “It means that you are an extraordinary woman who very quickly learned the measure of Lucifer before he was fully aware of it himself. You saw the truth of him, in spirit, if not in fact. You share many of his most cherished values - the ones that matter,” she clarified, as Chloe started to protest.

“You both possess a highly developed sense of justice and a love of the truth. I believe Lucifer is his truest self when he’s around you. The fact that he said those words to you is massive.” The doctor looked awed. “It means that he’s opening himself to that vulnerability and accepting, at least in some part, his role in what he believes to be his Father’s machinations.”

Linda patted Chloe’s arm a few more times for good measure. “He cares about you deeply, Chloe. He has for longer than he wants to admit. And I believe you feel the same, or you’d have run for the hills as soon as you found out who he really is. So the question remains - does knowing the truth change how you feel about him?”

Chloe remained silent, letting the words sift through her. Linda nodded. “No one would fault you if it did - least of all, it seems, Lucifer himself. But, if you truly believe he’s been honest with you, then maybe there’s another question you should be asking instead.”

Chloe finished her drink, looking pensively at Linda. There were definite upsides to being friends with a therapist.

“Just screw, already,” Maze interjected, looking bored. “This pointless dance you have going on is exhausting for the rest of us.”

Chloe could only laugh and shake her head. But… her friend wasn’t wrong. She’d been in love with Lucifer before she knew. And if Maze was the same person she’d been before, and so was Lucifer… Why should her feelings have to change?

As Linda was leaving a little while later, Chloe pulled her into a tight hug. “Thank you for everything, Linda.”

The doctor patted her on the back. “I’ve been there, Chloe. Still am, in a lot of ways. If you ever need anything, give me a call.”

Chloe promised she would. “I’m in love with the Devil,” she told her. Giving the words form felt like a point of no return, but once she had, a sense of profound relief washed over her. “I’m going to need all the help I can get.”

Linda nodded approvingly. “We’ve all got your back. Lucifer will come around.”

“How can you be so sure?” Chloe asked quickly. She didn’t share her friend’s certainty given how their previous two encounters had ended.

The Devil’s therapist gave her a shrewd look. “Because he hasn’t left either.”

After Linda said her goodbyes, Chloe left Maze to finish the sangria, poured herself a cup of coffee, and went to spend time with her daughter. She sat at the foot of the bed while Trixie regaled her with tales of her weekend at Dan’s, and then she helped with some of the tougher homework problems that Trixie hadn’t been able to manage by herself.

“Hey monkey, can I ask you something?” They were cuddled together on the bed scrolling through the gossip sites. Chloe relished this bubble of normalcy in the middle of the supernatural madness her life had suddenly become, but a certain devilish club owner had popped up in one article, and she was curious. “How come you keep trying to set me up with Lucifer?”

Trixie frowned, like the question didn’t make sense. “You really like him. And he really likes you. He helped me when the internet was mean to me, and he must be sad that the internet is so mean to him, too. We could help him with that.”

Chloe smiled, leaning down to kiss her daughter’s forehead. “You’re absolutely right, baby. We should.”

Trixie grinned wide enough to split her face. “Does that mean you’ll go on another date with Lucifer?”

Her enthusiasm was infectious. “Well, that’s up to him, monkey. But I’ll ask him, okay?”

“Tonight?” The question was nearly a demand.

Chloe blinked. “Don’t you want me to be here for bedtime tonight? You just got back from your dad’s.”

Trixie shook her head emphatically. “You waited long enough, Mommy. You and Lucifer should be happy.”

Chloe couldn’t help but laugh. Maze had said the same thing.

“I want _two_ stories tomorrow night,” Trixie added, and Chloe pulled her in for a hug, tickling her side until she squirmed.

“You got it, monkey.” She sent a text to Lucifer as her daughter sat next to her, grinning from ear to ear.

_ <You still here?> _

Trixie pulled the tablet away and started to play some cutesy colourful game. Lucifer didn’t respond right away. Pushing aside her instinctive anxiety, Chloe grabbed a sheet of paper from Trixie’s desk and started making a list of all the things that had never made sense about Lucifer before.

 _Desire mojo? --_ _NOT_ _hypnosis_ _(Devil power)_

 _Handcuffs don’t work --_ _??_

 _Throwing people_  -- _Super strength,_ _Super speed_

 _Scars on back_  -- _WINGS?!?_

_Devil face --_

Just as she wrote the last one, her phone pinged. Trixie looked up expectantly, and Chloe checked the text, willing herself to relax. The message was only two words.

< _I am. > _

Chloe’s heart beat faster. She took several deep breaths as she tried to decide what to say. Trixie made an encouraging “go on” gesture.

_ <Can I come over later? I have some more questions to ask you.> _

There was another pause. Chloe stared at Trixie’s game without seeing it. This was the crux of the matter. Would Lucifer even let her back in? If nothing else, her nervousness proved that she was still hoping for something to happen between them.

Her phone pinged again. Chloe’s eyes snapped down to the phone.

_ <If you feel you must, Detective.> _

She gave Trixie a tentative thumbs up and her daughter pumped a fist. “Yes!”

Chloe shook her head and tried not to read too much into the fact that she was already thinking about what she should wear.


	4. Can't fight the tide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final confrontation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the slight delay on this chapter! This chapter is the reason this story has an E rating. Here there be smut. If that's not your thing - totally understandable. I've put these three stars (***) at the beginning and end of the section, so you can control+F down to the bottom and not miss any of their conversation, if that's what you'd prefer to do. I hope you enjoy, no matter which way you choose!

Chloe - wearing something only slightly trendier than what she’d wear to work, but still comfortable - left Trixie with Maze. Her daughter could barely contain herself, and the demon too seemed to be glowing under the vote of confidence.

“Give Lucifer a good smack from me,” Maze said. “Since it’s you, he’ll actually feel it.”

Chloe cringed inwardly at the reminder that she made Lucifer vulnerable. “I’ll just save that for you when you see him,” she said, to Trixie’s obvious relief.

She drove back to Lux, no longer feeling strange in her own skin. She occasionally chuckled, remembering some of Lucifer’s offhand comments that she now knew were statements of fact. Once they got the immediate question of their partnership (and perhaps more) sorted, they were going to have a long chat. Maybe she should also give the Bible a read.

Lucifer was downstairs at the bar when she walked in - Lux wasn’t due to open for another few hours. Without looking up, he poured her a drink as she entered.

“Seeking out my company twice in one day? I had no idea you were such a glutton for punishment, Detective.” His teasing tone was strained.

“I have a question for you,” she told him, taking a small sip of her drink - she really didn’t feel like having more alcohol at this point.

The corner of Lucifer’s mouth quirked up. “Just the one?”

Chloe laughed. “For right now, yeah. Later, I’ve got a list.”

“Of course you do.” Lucifer saluted her with his glass. “You’re still being rather disingenuously calm about all this, then?”

Chloe blew out a breath. She would have been offended if Lucifer hadn’t resembled an affronted cat - now that she was looking for it she could see him bristle, trying to protect himself by pushing her away first.

“I had a long talk with Maze and Linda. It helped… put things in perspective.”

“I bet it did,” Lucifer said, leering, but Chloe could tell his heart wasn’t in it. “Well go on then, what’s this burning query of yours?” Buried in his eyes was a spark of curiosity. Seeing it encouraged her.

“What changes?” Chloe asked, trying to keep her voice firm. Realistically, everything already _had_ changed, but that wasn’t what she was asking. Lucifer stared back at her. “Now that I know. What’s going to change?”

Lucifer arched an eyebrow, full charm in effect. “Well, you tell me, Detective.”

Chloe was already shaking her head. “No, I don’t think so. You told me the truth, and you assumed I’d run out on you, right? Why?”

Lucifer gave her a look like he thought she was being deliberately obtuse. “Because everyone does. I’m the Devil.”

Chloe nodded easily. “But like you said, you’ve been up front about that since day one. It’s not like you’ve been hiding it. And aren’t you always going on about how popular opinion gets you wrong? You’re not like that. I know you’re not like that. So why should me knowing the truth change anything?”

Lucifer paused. Chloe waited, hoping she’d finally managed to get through to him.

Then his face hardened, and her heart sank.

“Impossible,” he said, abruptly standing and moving behind the bar.

Burned by frustration, Chloe stood also, folding her arms. “What the hell, Lucifer? Isn’t this what you’ve always been saying you wanted? To have someone accept the real you?” Lucifer made a disparaging noise, and Chloe rolled her eyes. “It’s not like I ever believed in ‘the Devil’ in the first place,” she added, making liberal use of finger quotes to indicate the popular opinion. “So if I’ve got the real thing in front of me, and he says he loves fluffy puppies and volunteers at the soup kitchen on weekends, I have no reason not to believe him.”

Lucifer put the whiskey bottle down on the bar with more force than necessary. “This is serious, Detective.”

Chloe scowled. “Who’s laughing? You think this is easy for me? My entire life is a lie. My entire _world_ has been turned upside down. The fact that I’ve been working with the actual Devil for the past two years has actually shifted low on the list of things I have to wrap my head around.”

She counted off on her fingers. “You’ve got the power to draw out people’s desires. You love punishing bad guys and making deals. You’re all about free will and honesty and consent. You’ll always have my back no matter what. What part of any of that is going to change, now that I know the truth?” Lucifer opened his mouth to answer, but Chloe wasn’t done.

“Sure, you’ve also got a chip on your shoulder so big you could see it from space, and a hair trigger temper, you’re ridiculous and inappropriate and you seem to have a pathological aversion to doing things sensibly. You’re insatiable and incorrigible and you have a sadistic streak that honestly makes a lot more sense now and guess what? I know all of that too.” She paused, throwing caution to the wind. “And I still fell in love with you.”

Lucifer closed his eyes as he drank, but not before Chloe saw the intensely conflicted look in them.

“You know, I’ve been thinking,” he said calmly after a moment, and when he opened his eyes again, there was no trace of emotion left. “About the answer to the question you asked before. About why my Father made you, pushed us together.”

Chloe tilted her head, waiting. His response to her declaration of love wasn’t exactly what she’d imagined, but if one thing was for sure, it was that this moment was bigger than the two of them.

“And I realized I was right. It’s because you make me vulnerable. All I had wrong was the reason.” He refilled his drink, studiously not looking at her. “Yes, you make me physically vulnerable, but I’ve already been to Hell twice since we discovered that, and it didn’t stick, so that can’t be what Father’s planning.”

Chloe felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. “...Twice?” she echoed. Lucifer waved a hand.

“Not important right now, Detective. What has become clear to me is that Father is playing the long game. He’s rather annoyingly omniscient, after all. He knew that I would leave Hell. He planned for us to meet and care for one another, et cetera. And in all this grand scheme of predestination and free will, we’ve overlooked one rather significant detail.”

He looked her in the eye, and Chloe felt like she’d been punched in the gut a second time. “You are mortal. I am not.” His voice was quiet and still, but resonated with finality. Chloe still struggled to draw breath, feeling like his words were a portent. Six words that threatened to tear them apart.

“You humans…” Lucifer shook his head in apparent amazement. Chloe felt a sudden chill. She’d heard him say it so many times, but it was different now, knowing that there really was a clear delineation between her species and his. “You’re so bloody fragile.” He laughed, a sharp, humourless sound. “And that’s without taking into account the madmen with guns, gang wars, restaurant fires, poison-happy scientists and the like that you seem to run into on a disturbingly regular basis.” He grimaced. “Even if you don’t come to your senses and run screaming first.” Chloe wanted to object but couldn’t seem to find her voice. Lucifer wasn’t looking at her any more.

“Whether my Father had a direct hand in this or not, whether your _feelings_ are real or not; doesn’t matter.” His eyes, usually such a warm brown, were dark and cold. “Because the only certainty is that this will end. One way or another. And once it does…” He knocked back his entire drink in one and poured another. “Going back to Hell would seem preferable.”

Chloe’s insides twisted in response to the sheer agony in his voice. She shouldn’t be able to affect anyone this much. It was too much power for one person.

“Which means,” he continued, “whether or not my Father intended for me to find out makes no difference. Because now I know, staying with you - I’m choosing my own punishment.” He shook his head, chuckling bleakly. “And people call _me_ the Evil One.”

Chloe took a deep breath, feeling lightheaded. Then took several more for good measure. Lucifer wasn’t looking at her anymore, and he clearly considered the discussion closed. Visibly dismissing her, he meandered out from behind the bar, drifting towards his piano. Throughout his rant, he seemed to have grown in stature, a dark and foreboding presence, while she diminished in his shadow. But that didn’t mean she was going to allow him to have the final word.

Stuffing her hands in her pockets, she moved closer to him. “Okay, first?” she said, relieved that her voice was reasonably steady. “Let’s not consider being with me as the worst punishment God has ever devised?”

Lucifer’s eyes flashed to hers, chagrined, and Chloe offered him a half smile. “Second, you seemed plenty willing to get involved with me before you learned He’d had a direct hand in it, right?” He nodded reluctantly, unable to deny the truth. She stepped closer to him until he was backed up against the piano.

“So that means there’s only one thing you can do,” she told him. He held her eyes, clinging to her words like a drowning man clutches a raft.

“Stop letting your Father control your life,” she said firmly, poking him in the chest. Lucifer’s eyes widened, and he sat heavily on the piano bench as though she’d actually knocked him over.

Chloe tried to keep her voice even, as if what she was suggesting was just that simple, instead of defiance on a cosmic scale. “You said yourself that you had no way of knowing whether you were following His plan, no matter what you decided to do.” Lucifer nodded again. “In that case, just do what you want.” Chloe nearly said _to Hell with Him_ , before she remembered who they were talking about and decided she wasn’t ready to be quite that blasphemous yet. “If you’re just making yourself miserable for His sake, then you’re playing into His hands either way, aren’t you?”

Lucifer kept staring at her, as though he’d spontaneously lost the ability to understand English. Chloe watched his reactions carefully.

“So, Lucifer. What do you want?” He rocked back a little, like it was the first time he’d ever been asked the question. She bit her lip, unable to resist adding, “What do _you_ desire?”

Lucifer blinked rapidly a few times, obviously thrown.

“If you want to leave, then leave,” she said, surprised by the sinking feeling in her stomach at the thought of him doing so. She didn’t want him to leave. She didn’t want to go back to her old life without him. It appeared that she’d done a better job accepting all this than she’d realized. “But… I’d like it if you stayed.”

She reached out to touch his shoulder, and Lucifer stiffened, though he didn’t pull away.

“Detective,” he whispered, no certainty behind the word at all. Chloe’s heart felt trapped in a vise. When he’d shown her his face, he’d been sure he would lose her. If she didn’t play her cards right, this could very well be how she lost Lucifer.

“I can’t imagine how you feel,” she said more softly. “I’m not immortal. I’ll never have to face that kind of loss. I also didn’t believe in God until two days ago so I don’t know what it’s like to have the kind of relationship with Him that would make you turn your back on everything, just to spite Him. But if you stay…”

She took a deep breath. “Lucifer, loss is a part of life,” she told him. “It doesn’t take a dangerous job - my father was a beat cop. It’s scary to think of how quickly it can all end, with no rhyme or reason.” Lucifer’s eyes shuttered, but she soldiered on. “So that’s why it’s important to remember, and not take anything for granted. It’s what makes the good things feel so great.” She bit her lip before making a decision. The way Lucifer was looking up at her now could only be described as awe.

“What I said on the beach still stands. I still want this. Come what may.” She smiled a bit. “I might have had no idea what it actually meant when I said that, but I also didn’t know how true it was.” She shook her head. “I don’t believe God is making me feel these things. But nothing I can say will convince you of that. Maybe nothing I can do either. But… I’d like to try.” Chloe heard Lucifer’s breath catch. She forced herself to look at him frankly. “What about you, Lucifer? Can you… do you still want this?”

The breath he took in was thin and ragged. “In all my time,” he began, “I never would have dreamed of being able to have anything like what you’re standing there, offering freely.” He shook his head in apparent despair. “It changes nothing,” he declared at last. “It should, but it doesn’t. Dad can have His machinations, His plans, all of it. I just want you.”

Chloe’s heart soared. “Good,” she said simply. “Because I want you, too. More than anything in this life.” Lucifer looked back at her with heated eyes, like he really was using his mojo on her. She grinned wickedly, flush with success that she finally seemed to have gotten through to him. It made her slightly reckless. “And when I do go to meet your family, I’ll have some choice words to say. Definitely giving your Dad a piece of my mind. They might even need to kick me out.”

Lucifer stared.

Suddenly, Chloe found herself pressed back against the piano, Lucifer’s lips hot and needy on hers. She hadn’t even seen him move.

She, Chloe Decker, was kissing the Devil. And that was just fine by her.

She melted into him, sinking one hand into his hair while using the other to pull him closer. He kissed her like she was the oxygen he needed to breathe. The months of unresolved tension building between the two of them collided with the stress of all the things she’d discovered during the past few tumultuous days. Chloe considered it an act of the God she was now forced to believe in that she didn’t spontaneously combust.

Lucifer pulled back for breath, regarding her. His eyes were heavy lidded, wanton, and Chloe panted mindlessly, feeling the edges of the piano digging into her back. She couldn’t have cared less.

“I can’t let you do that for me, Chloe,” he said fervently, though his eyes betrayed his wonder. It took Chloe a minute to remember what he was talking about. She pulled his head down to hers, smiling against his lips.

“That's the best part about free will,” she murmured, feeling his shiver. “It’s not up to you.”

Lucifer made a low sound, kissing her again, and she drowned under his mouth.

Suddenly, she found herself being carried, noticing the change in position only because the piano was no longer pressing into her spine, and there was a brief pause while Lucifer called the elevator. At some point, she'd apparently wrapped her legs around his waist and he'd taken the opportunity to pick her up.

He continued plundering her mouth while he carried her up the stairs, one hand buried in her hair, cradling her neck, the other splayed across her back, pressing her against him. Somewhere in a small, besieged part of her mind, she registered the strength he was displaying, but the greater part of her just found it sexy as hell.

The elevator arrived. Chloe discovered this when she found herself pressed against the far wall. She moaned her enthusiastic approval, attacking his lips in return. Her stomach swooped, either because of the rise of the elevator or because the situation was just enough like her dream to make her eager for what was to come.

She kept waiting for him to pull back, throw up walls and roadblocks the way he always did. Or for herself to, as Lucifer put it, come to her senses. She was making out with the _Devil_ , for crying out loud.

Instead, there was only a sense of _finally. Finally_. She knew everything, couldn’t hide behind any delusions, and she’d chosen this. Giving herself over to it at last, she felt nothing other than relief.

And a lust so intense she nearly suffocated under the force of it.

Lucifer carried her into the penthouse. She took the opportunity to start pushing off his jacket. He shrugged it off one arm, then the other, somehow never putting her down or even breaking contact with her lips. Only once the jacket was off and tossed somewhere, forgotten, did he draw back, looking up at her.

Chloe uncrossed her legs from his waist, and he allowed her to slide down his body, fanning the flames raging through her. He released her, but she didn’t let him, slipping her arms under his. She knew what he was going to ask before he said it.

“Are you sure about this, Detective?” There was something so terribly still in his voice; she felt the words more than heard them, a dark, low rumble in his chest. When Chloe shivered, it was with anticipation. Did she want this? Sex with Lucifer?

“ _Yes_ ,” she said. Lucifer let out a breath, already shaking his head, deep-seated doubt in his eyes that she yearned to wipe away. She cupped his face with her hands, forcing him to look at her.

“Lucifer. I’m not drunk this time. I know exactly what you’re asking, and I know exactly what I want. I want you. I _choose_ you. I will keep telling you that until you believe me. But…” She looked him up and down, and Lucifer’s eyes darkened further. “I’d rather show you.”

She was expecting Lucifer to descend upon her again, but in this, as in so much else, he surprised her.

“Chloe…” The way he whispered her name compelled her to stretch up and press her lips to his, carding a hand through his hair. He closed his eyes, and she felt him tremble slightly. She was oddly reassured that this was at least as momentous for him as it was for her.

“What’s wrong?” she asked softly, despite the fact that she could think of any number of things.

He shook his head again, but not in denial this time, smiling as he opened his eyes. “Just wondering if Hell has actually frozen over,” he said.

Chloe laughed. “You can’t tell?”

Lucifer tenderly pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, clearly appreciating what she was saying without words. “Not without going to check, and I would be a fool to be anywhere else right now.”

Chloe smirked. “Damn straight.”

(***)

She linked her arms around Lucifer’s neck, and he bent to kiss her. His hands drifted to her shoulders. Now that it came to the point, both parties seemed unsure of how to proceed.

Chloe inhaled deeply, Lucifer’s familiar scent focusing and grounding her. She slowly moved her hands to the first button of his shirt. In her dream, she’d ripped his clothes off, and maybe they’d do that later, but for now they’d been overtaken by an almost reverent mood. Lucifer swallowed but made no move to stop her.

Opening the first button was the hardest. After that, it was easier, and Chloe made quick work of the rest, sliding her hands under the fabric to slip it off his shoulders. He shivered, and she wondered if her hands felt cold against his heated skin.

This was the first time she’d been so close to Lucifer with his shirt off, and she took a moment to explore the lines of lean muscle that she’d hardly allowed herself to look at before, much less touch, as Lucifer stood still and quiet for her perusal. Remembering his reaction when she’d thoughtlessly made to touch his scars, she avoided his back entirely, running her fingers lightly down his chest, lingering on his stomach. Lucifer shivered again and she wondered if he was ticklish.

Lucifer ran his nose along her jawline in a sensuous caress before dipping lower to kiss her neck. He led a trail of kisses down to the collar of her shirt, tongue darting out to taste her skin, and with a quiet sigh, Chloe pulled back her hair to allow him better access. When his lips reached fabric, he paused, pulling back to look at her for permission, his hands ready and waiting at her waist.

His fingers brushed the skin above the waistband of her jeans, and she lifted her arms as he eased the shirt over her head. He tossed it over his shoulder and hummed in apparent appreciation of her choice of bra, running his fingers under the straps without attempting to remove it right away.

Lucifer slid his hands down her back, tracing the shape of her shoulder blades and following the path of her spine before slipping below her waistband again. His touch was gentle and so, so warm, learning her body as she was learning his. Chloe pressed a kiss to his chest, just over his heart, and looked at him candidly.

“Bed,” she said, leaving no room for equivocation. Lucifer’s eyes were molten pools as he looked back at her.

“Very well,” he murmured, picking her up with no apparent effort.

Chloe gave him a mock glare. “I can walk, you know.”

Lucifer tossed her gently onto his bed, gliding sinuously around to the foot as he regarded her. “Indulge me.”

Climbing up after her, he crawled up the length of her body, sliding one hand beneath her as he linked the fingers of his other hand with hers. He pressed a kiss to the inside of her wrist to taste her pulse before continuing up her arm in a series of feather-light kisses that ended at her shoulder.

Once he was close enough, Chloe carded her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck, pulling him in for a proper kiss. Lucifer allowed it, plying her lips tenderly, but would not be diverted. He tasted the skin at the hollow of her throat before sliding lower, tongue laving the swell of one breast, and then the other, as he slipped his hands beneath the band of her bra. Chloe’s deep inhalation turned into a gasp as his fingers skated along the underside of her breasts.

“Lucifer…” She couldn’t remember if she’d ever been touched like this, with such obvious care and attention. It felt like every inch of her skin was on fire.

She felt Lucifer smile against her stomach before lifting his head to look up at her. The angle made Chloe gulp.

“We’ve barely begun, darling,” he said, and Chloe’s stomach swooped at the promise in his voice.

Rising to his knees slightly, he toyed with the button of her jeans, waiting for her nod of permission before popping it open and, ever so slowly, dragging down the zipper. Running his fingers under her waistband, he began to pull her pants off, inch by torturous inch, caressing each bit of skin he uncovered. He kissed the tops of her thighs, then the inside of her knees. Reflexively, Chloe lashed out, but she was hampered by the fabric and Lucifer caught her leg easily. She drew breath to say something, apologize, but Lucifer beamed like she hadn’t just tried to kick him in the head.

“Message received,” he purred, delighted, and continued with his exploration, massaging her calves before at last removing her jeans entirely with a flourish. Chloe’s breath hitched and a blush stained her cheeks. Lucifer’s lips curled up in a smirk at the sight.

“Shall I continue?” he asked, one brow arched in challenge.

Chloe responded with a needy sound, surprising herself. “You’d better,” she said, though she appreciated the gesture, the way he needed to hear her say it. Her abortive movement drew Lucifer’s attention back to her chest and he actually licked his lips. She swallowed, mouth going dry.

Suddenly, he was on top of her, surrounding her, drawing a careful finger down her side. Chloe wasn’t ticklish there, just sensitive, and when he reached a certain spot she arched into him.

With one hand, he unhooked her bra from behind her back, sliding it out and away. Almost before she registered its absence he was back on her neck, kissing and nipping, down to her chest. It had all happened so fast she hadn’t had a chance to be apprehensive, and Lucifer didn’t even stare, though there was an almost fervent light in his eyes as he looked at her, making her blush harder.

“Lucifer, you’ve seen them before,” she muttered, flustered in spite of herself.

“Indeed I have,” Lucifer said agreeably. “But I’ve never been able to do _this_.” And then his hands were on her, careful and deliberate. He caressed her sides, thumbs brushing underneath the swells of her breasts, making her shiver. He cupped them in his hands, testing their weight. At the first touch of his mouth, she let out a moan that was entirely too loud, pressing her head back into the pillows. Lucifer chuckled.

“Nothing to be ashamed of, darling; I know it’s been a while. And believe me, I _want_ to hear you. Means I’m doing it right...” With that, he turned his attentions to her other breast, and Chloe moaned again, though not quite as loudly.

Lucifer didn’t linger long, however, drawing back to trace circles around her nipples, and Chloe arched her back again, seeking more. He gave it to her, brushing his thumbs over the peaks themselves. She hummed her appreciation, hands coming up to grip his shoulders. After a little while of this, just as she was starting to become used to the sensation, his mouth descended again, tongue exploring as his expert fingers kneaded the flesh of the other breast. The sound Chloe made then was undignified, and became even more so when he switched tactics, tongue traversing the valley between her breasts and starting up again on the other side.

Chloe would have been thrashing if his weight hadn’t been on top of her, heat already starting to coil low in her belly.

“Lu… Lucifer,” she absolutely did _not_ whimper, and he looked up at her with a cheeky grin.

“I’ve been waiting a long time to give these the attention they deserve,” he said, running his tongue along the inside of his teeth. “And I intend to be _very_ thorough.” Only then did he draw a nipple into his mouth, giving it an experimental nip. Chloe’s back arched like a bow.

Before long, though, his mouth was trailing downwards again. Chloe emerged from her lust-fueled haze in time to spare a thought wondering when she’d last shaved before Lucifer was delicately sliding the lacy fabric of her underwear over her hips.

Just like that, she was bared to him for the first time, and like before, she didn’t have time to be nervous. Lucifer sat back on his knees, surveying her. His eyes blazed and he swallowed visibly, running his hands up her legs as he leaned down to kiss her soundly.

“Bloody hell, you’re gorgeous, Chloe,” he said, voice throbbing with sincerity, and Chloe pulled him back down for another kiss.

When Lucifer pulled back, he made another circuit of her body, gradually moving lower: breasts, stomach, hips, thighs. Dimly, she was aware of the fact that he was still wearing his pants, and that she should probably try to get them off, but everywhere his lips touched, every pattern traced by his warm hands, set her afire, and she realized he must have made note of all the places that had gotten the best reactions from her before. She was barely articulate, let alone proactive.

Lucifer gently grasped her hips, hands nearly engulfing the tops of her thighs as he caressed the crease where her legs met her body. With each pass, his fingers edged closer and closer to the place she wanted them to be, and she trembled. Even with all that, it was still somehow a shock when he finally dragged one finger gently through her folds, testing her. She let out a sharp gasp, jackknifing upwards.

Lucifer let her relax again, rubbing soothing circles on her thighs. When she opened her eyes, it was to see him slip his finger in his mouth, sampling her taste, with an expression on his face she could only describe as ecstasy. Chloe made a strangled noise, cheeks flaming, but she couldn’t look away.

Seeing her staring at him, he gave her a wide smile. His pupils were massive. “It’s all right, darling, we’ll go as slowly as you need to.” Chloe nodded fervently, both with the idea of going slowly as well as with continuing. Lucifer needed no further encouragement, and this time his mouth followed his fingers down between her legs.

She let out what could charitably be called a squawk, hips jerking mindlessly. She felt Lucifer’s smile against her lips, and his chuckle sent vibrations through the hyper-sensitive skin. Chloe was too overwhelmed to be embarrassed, and after a moment his tongue darted out, just the tip, tentative and soft.

Chloe flailed, hands scrabbling at the sheets. No one had ever gone down on her like this, with such jubilant, singular focus. Lucifer, true to his word as always, gave her ample space to adjust, and she took deep breaths, trying vainly to calm her racing heart. He didn’t seem unaffected by his ministrations either, as indicated by the subtle pause after he tried a few delicate licks, directly from the source. The coolness of his ragged inhalation was a shock after the torrid heat of his mouth, and Chloe shivered again.

Lucifer pressed deeper, with long, slow strokes, accompanied by a breathy groan. Chloe thought she had never heard anything sexier in her entire life and found she couldn’t keep her hands off him, burying them in his hair.

He looked up at her briefly, and the power of that moment, locking eyes when he was there between her legs, was nearly enough to send her over the edge all on its own. She pushed slightly at him with her new leverage, and Lucifer took the hint, picking up where he left off and _oh fuckfuckfuck-_

He found her clit unerringly, lightly circling it with his tongue, and a few seconds later, Chloe’s intake of breath turned into a keening moan as the coil of heat in her belly bottomed out and snapped, though only to make way for the deeper swell of desire that was just starting to build.

Lucifer carried her through the aftershocks, rubbing her calves soothingly as she writhed, pressing feathery kisses to the insides of her thighs. When at last she exhaled, a breathless exclamation of his name, he raised his head, face shiny and entirely too smug.

“Come _here_ ,” she ordered, and he shimmied up her body to kiss her deeply. The taste of herself on his tongue galvanized her, and she pushed at his shoulders, flipping her position with him so she was on top.

Lucifer rolled easily and looked up at her with hooded eyes and an eager grin, clearly pleased with their new arrangement. Chloe couldn’t help wanting to kiss that grin off his face, continuing with her own trail of kisses down his body, a plane of lean muscle that seemed to go on forever, not that she was taking the time to explore.

“Steady on, Detective,” Lucifer said, a laugh in his voice, and Chloe shot him a look from her position near his navel. He just waggled his eyebrows at her, and Chloe’s hands dropped to his belt buckle. She whipped it off under his appreciative gaze before going to the button of his slacks.

“These are coming off,” she informed him, and his grin widened.

“I certainly hope so,” he replied, though Chloe noted that he didn’t sound quite as unaffected as before.

With Lucifer assisting her by lifting his hips, she removed his pants in record time, and then suddenly Lucifer was naked underneath her. Like him, she was already fairly familiar with the sight by this point, but she did still take a moment to reassure herself that this was really happening, and wasn’t some elaborate fantasy she’d concocted. Then, because it wasn’t a fantasy, she took another moment to remind herself that there was no longer any reason to hold herself back, that touching was permitted and in fact encouraged.

Lucifer let her take her time, as patient as he’d been with his exploration of her, watching her ardently. Biting her lip, she took his length in hand, and they both sucked in a breath, which Lucifer let out in a sigh. He definitely wasn’t quipping now, as Chloe tested him with slow, firm strokes. Lucifer twitched.

“Chloe,” he rasped, his voice deep and gravelly, and Chloe thought she might have to re-evaluate her earlier assessment of what the sexiest sound in the world was as she continued experimenting with speed and pressure. Finally she seemed to find a sweet spot as Lucifer made a low subconscious noise, arching into her hand. She continued in that vein for a while, enjoying the feeling of him subtly flexing beneath her grip, and his hitching breaths, as she watched him from beneath her lashes.

When she felt like he was getting a little too comfortable with how things were going, she drew him into her mouth, carefully - it had been a while since she’d done this, too, and Lucifer was, well, Lucifer - and he made another one of those breathy groans, this one longer and more drawn out. Chloe hid a tiny smile of satisfaction, giving him a moment to collect himself, and then went in again, gliding her tongue along the base of him before dragging it up to the tip. Lucifer fisted his hands in the sheets and shuddered.

Encouraged, she swirled her tongue around the head, earning another one of those moans that felt like it was pulled from the depths of him. She loved that she was able to affect him like this, to finally give him what he so clearly desired. She placed a kiss on the tip, glancing up at him. His mouth had fallen open, and he met her eyes with a gaze that was hot enough to melt stone. He whispered her name again, hands coming up to grasp her shoulders, and Chloe decided she’d had enough teasing. She didn’t know if she could get him off with just her mouth, nor did she want to. She herself was still feeling the effects of the slow-building wave that had been set in motion downstairs in the bar. She was ready.

With a low sound, she climbed atop him, balancing easily. Lucifer sat up a bit straighter, still gripping her shoulders.

“Are you sure you want this?” His eyes were wide and blown, and Chloe supposed she couldn’t blame him for asking again, even as she admired the restraint he possessed, giving her the chance to walk away while she was literally on top of him.

“More than anything,” she reassured him. Despite everything that had preceded it, the moment still felt like a threshold. Here she was, enthusiastically on top of Lucifer Morningstar. She thought Hell had best get ready for a blizzard. “Let me?”

He nodded, letting himself fall back against the pillows, and Chloe smiled before slowly sinking down. They both held their breath as he first slipped inside, and she had to stop for a moment. Lucifer let out a trembling sigh, meeting her eyes with a look of wonder. Seeing it, Chloe sank down the rest of the way, and they both gasped.

She paused again, letting herself adjust (damn, it _had_ been a while). Lucifer held perfectly still beneath her. After a second, she huffed a small laugh at herself, for foolishly thinking something else was going to happen. Lucifer’s lips quirked into a half smile, like he'd been thinking the same thing. The world hadn't ended, after all.

Then all at once, she had to move. She started slowly, her inner muscles still acclimatizing to the unaccustomed activity. Lucifer let her set the pace, initially doing nothing more demanding than shivering up into her, breathing heavily (not quite gasping, but Chloe knew she’d get there). It took her a minute or two to find the perfect angle, but once she did - _oh_ , once she did! - it was like her body decided all on its own to make up for years of lost time, grinding down aggressively, heedlessly chasing her own pleasure.

Even then, Lucifer didn’t immediately try to retake control, keeping his eyes on her as she moved earnestly above him, his hands on her hips, caressing up and down her sides. Occasionally he helped her along, tracing light circles against her skin where they were joined, but he seemed perfectly content to let her get what she wanted. Under his heated gaze, Chloe felt sexy; powerful. Not because she was on top of the Devil, making him shudder and gasp (well, okay, not _just_ because of that), and not because it was Lucifer making her feel that way - he gave her the space to think of _herself_ that way. It was an incredible rush.

She threw her head back, tossing her hair over her shoulder, running her hands over his lean body, and sought her release with single minded determination.

Lucifer, somehow, was moving in such a way that didn’t change his angle within her at all, letting her use him as she wished, merely reciprocating her movements, driving himself deeper than she would have been able to achieve on her own. As Chloe drew closer to the edge, she began making unconscious keening sounds with every thrust, which grew more erratic and sloppy as she started to lose control.

That was when he made his move, sitting up carefully. His arms wrapped around her and he pulled her tight against his chest.

“You are magnificent,” he panted in her ear, and Chloe couldn’t help convulsing around him. “Will you allow me to take it from here?”

She just nodded into his shoulder, too far gone for words, and Lucifer held her close for another moment before shifting them gently so that he was above her, around her, and Chloe’s arousal, already more heightened than it had ever been, shot into the stratosphere. She felt protected, adored, desired. She threaded their fingers together as he leaned down to bestow a quick, intense kiss before starting in with his own thrusts. Regarding her carefully, he lifted her hips slightly, angling them _just so_ and soon she was crying out with each one as he picked up a rhythm.

Her legs wrapped themselves around his waist of their own accord for the second time that day, and she moaned out his name as she clung to him, arching up with each movement. She was so damn close, and she could tell by the tenor of Lucifer’s breathing that he wasn’t going to be much longer himself. His eyes took on a slightly wild look of disbelief as he watched her writhe beneath him, and he freed his hands to sink them into her hair, pulling her in for another bruising kiss.

Chloe grasped at his lower back, and when he pulled back for breath, she managed to retrieve her linguistic ability in order to gasp out two words.

“Lucifer. Can I -?” Her hands slid slowly up towards his shoulders, and he paused for long enough to nod before descending for another kiss.

The instant her hands brushed his scars, he jolted as if electrified, rearing up and letting out an actual growl of her name, doubling his pace.

Chloe clung to his back for dear life, urging him on as he peppered her neck with kisses. Lucifer was quivering like a taut string, and she was already starting to freefall over the edge when he slipped one of his hands between their bodies, finding her clit as effortlessly as before, locking eyes with her as he did so.

That was all she needed. Chloe cried out his name as she flew apart at the seams, bucking wildly, her vision dissolving into white. Somewhere very far away she was aware of Lucifer riding it out for as long as he could before giving in with another low groan, letting himself follow her. Then she was floating, and didn’t think about anything else for a long while.

When she came back to herself, still breathing hard like she’d run a marathon, Lucifer had shifted his weight to the side so it wasn’t fully resting on top of her, looking no less done in, but also, she was glad to see, just as satisfied.

After his ferocity before, Lucifer was all tenderness, running a gentle hand through her hair, staring at her like she was a revelation. “Chloe,” he murmured.

Chloe placed her hand over his, pressing it to her cheek. “Yeah,” she said, robbed of anything more eloquent to say by the rapidly expanding pressure in her heart. He was flushed and sweaty, his hair a riot of curls, his lips red and raw, and she adored him beyond all reason. “Yeah.”

Lucifer shook his head, also apparently at a loss for words, and wrapped her in his arms when she pulled him closer. Neither of them spoke again for quite some time.

***

Lying in the afterglow, Chloe ran a lazy hand up Lucifer’s spine, carefully avoiding his scars for the time being. He hummed his appreciation, twisting to allow her better access, but her mind was a million miles away from their cuddle, as lovely as it was.

“Lucifer,” she began, “can I ask you a question?”

“You may ask me whatever you like,” he said languidly. His easy acceptance actually made her hesitate, but the memory had seized her and wouldn’t leave her alone.

“What did you mean, when you said you’d been to Hell twice?” she asked. “Since you found out I made you vulnerable?”

Lucifer tensed, and for a moment she thought he wasn’t going to answer. He turned his head to regard her. “How else do you think I got the formula for your antidote from a dead man, Detective?” he said at last, and Chloe stared, open-mouthed. He pillowed his head back on his arms, clearly uncomfortable under her scrutiny.

“How…? I mean, last time you had to die to get to Hell…” She trailed away, recalling the odd conversation they’d had after she’d awoken in the hospital. She’d played it over so many times in her mind while he’d been missing, wondering if it had contained some clue, before finally dismissing it once he’d returned.

“ _So you didn’t die. That makes one of us._ ” She gasped.

“Oh, that part was easy,” Lucifer was saying. “I just had Maze and Linda stop my heart with a defibrillator - well, that was the plan, anyway, but they wouldn’t do it, so I had to do it myself -”

Chloe sat up, looking down at him in shock. “You _killed yourself_ …!” Her brain nearly refused to accept the information. Back then, he had just discovered the truth about her, learned that she was connected to his Father and all he despised, and yet he was lying there, casually talking about the fact that he’d still committed _suicide_ to help her, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“I had no choice; Amenadiel had to stay with you and make sure you were close enough to keep me vulnerable,” he explained, as though the most noteworthy detail was that there had been a _lack_ of people to kill him. “Getting out of Hell was harder that time, I’ll admit - it took Mum coming down to get me - but it all worked out in the end.” Chloe was shaking her head rhythmically from side to side as Lucifer spoke. “It just proves that Dad’s plan isn’t to get me back in Hell, or else I’d still be there.”

“Lucifer, you…” She swallowed, tried again. “How many times is that now, that I owe you my life?”

She’d meant it as a rhetorical question, but he actually had to think about it. Chloe put a hand on his arm, forestalling his answer.

“More than one. Even if it were _only_ one… you thought I would just walk away? After what you’ve done for me, after everything we’ve been through?”

To her surprise, Lucifer stiffened, pulling away slightly. “I won’t have you staying with me out of some misplaced sense of _obligation_ ,” he spat.

Chloe shook her head, knowing words were useless, and leaned in to kiss him. He was hesitant at first, but she persisted, doing her best to infuse the kiss with all the love and gratitude she felt.

They parted, Lucifer looking faintly stunned.

“Did that feel like obligation?” Chloe asked. Lucifer could only shake his head.

“Good. Because it’s not,” she said firmly. “I’m here because I want to be, and for no other reason. All I ask is that you trust me when I say that I’ll always be here for you. The way that you’ve always been for me.” She smiled at him.

Lucifer rolled and straddled her, catching her lips in a passionate kiss, and it took her a second to remember how rarely others made their appreciation known to him. Despite how exhausted she’d been a moment before, it didn’t take long before she was caught up in the mood again.

Lucifer stopped kissing her long enough to pull back slightly, regarding her. “Tell me what you desire, darling,” he said huskily. “Anything, and it’s yours.” There was a subtle note in his voice, and Chloe realized he was nervous. He’d never been in bed with someone his powers didn’t work on. Her heart ached as she looked at him, watching her with the apprehension he tried to hide, and she hastened to reassure him.

“Lucifer,” she said, cupping his face in her hand. “My desires are simple. I don’t need Brazilian honeypots or whatever. I just need you. Us. This is enough.”

Lucifer’s eyes searched hers, a look of vague consternation on his face, and she found herself wondering if he’d ever slept with someone who didn’t want something from him. Then she stopped thinking about it because it hurt too much.

“But we could do that thing with you on top again,” she admitted. The change in Lucifer was instantaneous; he preened, running his tongue along the inside of his teeth as he smirked down at her.

“Liked that, did you?” he purred. Chloe nodded, shifting slightly underneath him as heat began to build inside her again. She tabled the discussion of her “desires” to be addressed at a later date - she knew she wasn’t going to get through to him tonight.

Lucifer ran his hands up her sides, making her squirm. “It would be my pleasure,” he told her, and she bit her lip, looking up at him.

“Is it really okay if I touch your back?” she asked. His reaction when she’d touched his scars had been explosive both times - it was clearly a very sensitive spot for him.

This time, it was Lucifer’s turn to nod, closing his eyes as if with remembered pleasure or pain. Perhaps both.

“You’re hardly the first,” he said, with some bewilderment. “But for some reason, when you touch them… it does things to me that I can’t explain.”

Chloe focused on the warmth that shot through her at his words, trying not to think about the fact that they were talking about the place where his wings - his _actual wings_! - had been cut off. If she could make him feel good, Chloe reasoned, that was all that mattered. She could worry about the implications later.

“I’d like to find out,” she said. The look Lucifer gave her at those words was pure lust, without any of his usual artifice, and Chloe shivered pleasurably. She pulled him down to her, and whatever he might have responded quickly became show and not tell.

The night, as it turned out, had only just begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap, that was long! There probably won't be another chapter that long in this series, but I thought their first time deserved a bit of special treatment. One more chapter to go in this reveal! Thanks for sticking with me.


	5. The storm is coming strong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after.

Chloe came slowly to awareness the next morning. At first, she felt nothing but bliss, like she’d just had the most wonderful dream. Then she began to feel sore in all the right places and realized that her initial assessment hadn’t been far off. She stretched a little to get her circulation flowing and found herself in contact with another body.

Her eyes shot open, and she blinked groggily at the light streaming in through the sheer curtains. Memory returned in snippets. She was at Lucifer’s place, in Lucifer’s bed, and unlike the last time she’d woken up this way, he was in bed with her (or she was in bed with him?) and they had most definitely _done the nasty_ _._ In fact, if Chloe were to use what was apparently the official terminology, it had been the Best Night of her Life.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this good, and it was only partially due to the sex itself; the other part was the way she was at peace with herself and the decision she’d made. She could finally relax around Lucifer - she knew his great and terrible secret, they’d given into what they’d both known was inevitable and slept together, and the world hadn’t come to an end.

As she stirred, Lucifer shifted in his sleep without waking, and she gazed at him for a while, marvelling at how different he looked while he was asleep: younger, more, well, not _innocent_ , but something approaching it at least. The curls certainly didn’t help. Seeing them untamed as they were made him look like an entirely different person. She longed to sink her hands into them again, the way she’d been doing all night, but she found herself loath to wake him. She wondered what time it was.

Chloe sat bolt upright, all traces of her lazy awakening vanishing like smoke. She slid out of bed as carefully as she could, hunting for her phone. Finding it, she swore under her breath when she read the display. It was far later than it should have been. She had two texts, both from Maze, one a simple check-in _(_ _need me to come over and beat some sense into him?)_  and then a second one, a while after the first, with a very creative collection of lewd emojis. On top of that, her battery was nearly dead.

Chloe dragged a hand over her face, trying to bring her bliss-addled thoughts into some semblance of order. Though she’d like nothing more than to return to the bed with Lucifer, to luxuriate in the morning (and potentially indulge in yet another round) she needed to get home. She knew Maze was perfectly capable of getting Trixie to school, but she needed to see her daughter, to change and shower and charge her phone, and maybe grab a bite of breakfast before she went to the precinct.

Thinking of the mountain of files she had waiting on her desk was what finally decided her. It was incredibly tempting to take the day off in favour of exploring her new intimacy with Lucifer, but that just meant she would be making things worse for herself down the line. There was no need to rush things.

That also meant that she needed to leave, right away. Preferably an hour ago.

Mind made up, she collected articles of her clothing from where they were tossed all over the apartment, slipping into the guest bathroom to try and pull herself together. She didn’t want to wake Lucifer, but she also wouldn’t sneak out like she had something to hide. If he wasn’t up by the time she was ready to go, she’d make an attempt, at least let him know she was headed to work.

If Lucifer had looked completely different in sleep, Chloe hardly recognized the face staring out at her from the mirror. Her eyes were shining despite the bags under them - she looked ready to take on the world.

She took a quick shower, half-expecting Lucifer to appear at any moment, asking to join. She couldn’t decide whether she was relieved that he didn’t show, given how late she was already running, or disappointed. Did his vulnerability around her extend to needing more sleep, too? Her mind continued to whir, questions for which she had no answers swirling around her head like the water in the drain.

When she turned off the water she still couldn’t hear any sound from Lucifer, so she left the bathroom quietly, but before she got to the bedroom to check if he was still there, his voice stopped her in her tracks.

“Off so soon, Detective?” He’d been calling her by her given name all night and the return to her title felt jarring, the edge of bitterness in his voice even more so. _What now?_ She thought they’d been fairly thorough the previous night, but apparently not. Maybe she’d woken him after all.

She turned to look for him, finding him standing by the piano, curls tamed (she fought back an irrational pang of loss), drink in hand. He was wearing a black silk robe that looked like it cost more than a month’s salary, and she swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. She’d only seen him wearing it once before, when she came over unannounced for the Satanist case, and despite their activities of the previous evening leaving no inch of him a mystery, there was a feeling of unexpected intimacy that accompanied the sight that blindsided her.

“Oh, you’re awake!” she exclaimed breathlessly, for lack of anything else to say, and watched as his expression closed further.

“Indeed, as are you, and in quite a rush, too,” he said, with an air of forced casualness. “What is it, Detective? Suddenly realized you’d had enough? I admit, had I known that proving myself to be the Devil would have had such an… amorous effect on you, I would have done it long ago and saved us both all this trouble.”

Chloe stared for a moment, nonplussed. The change in tone from the previous night felt like a punch in the sternum, and her buzz was officially killed.

“Lucifer,” she said, trying to keep a lid on her annoyance, “I’m going to _work_ _._ You know, that thing we do every day, or at least when you can be bothered to show up?” She didn’t want to let her temper get the better of her, but she was running on a distinct lack of sleep the past couple of days, not to mention the massive stress of having to re-evaluate her entire worldview, and he was sabotaging the one thing that had made it all worthwhile.

Lucifer actually wagged a finger at her. Chloe’s fury skyrocketed. “Ah-ah, Detective. No lies, remember? Why don’t you just admit that it was too much for you, and we can end this charade?”

All at once, her anger evaporated, leaving cold dismay in its place. It was her worst fear come true: Lucifer pushing her away after getting what he wanted at last. She searched the eyes of the stranger in front of her for anything of the Lucifer she’d gotten to know last night and realized as she did that he was doing it again. Throwing up walls, protecting himself by attacking first. He was just as afraid as she was. Her face softened.

“Lucifer,” she said carefully, “I am going to work.” Lucifer made a disbelieving noise, but she persisted. “I have a mountain of paperwork to do - that part you don’t help with because it’s too _boring_ _,_ ” she teased gently, and Lucifer’s posture relaxed, just a little. “And as much as I would love to stay in bed all day with you, I just… I need a breather,” she admitted. “Just for a bit. Just to… you know, touch base.”

“Oh.” Lucifer put down his drink. Chloe took the opportunity to move closer.

“Yeah. _Oh_ _,_ " she said, putting a careful hand on his arm. She was learning that you had to approach Lucifer like a spooked animal in these kinds of situations - any sudden move and the walls would shoot right back up. “I’m not going to run,” she informed him flatly. _Unlike you,_ she didn’t say. “I’m not saying this because it’s too much. I’m doing this to stop it from _becoming_ too much. Does that make sense?” Lucifer only stared at her, clearly uncomprehending. Letting out a huff of frustration, she tried another tack.

“Look,” she said, placing a hand on his face and gently forcing him to look at her, catching a glimpse as she did so of the raw pain in his eyes, belonging to someone who was far too accustomed to having everything they wanted snatched away. In that moment, she swore to herself she would never be one of them. “I promise, if it ever becomes too much, I will _tell you_ _,_ ” she said, emphasizing her words with a squeeze. “I’ve already come this far, I at least want a chance to work through it, together. Because that’s how we do things. Together.”

She almost didn’t get the last word out before Lucifer was kissing her, fiercely, desperately. She was oddly glad she’d decided to go into work today. Better to head this off at once than have it fester.

Lucifer pulled back, looking sheepish. “Chloe, I-”

“I know,” she said. She did. They would both have to be patient with each other. She didn’t want to hear him apologize for things that weren’t his fault. “But this is why we need to talk about these things, not just jump to conclusions. Okay?” She gave him a warm smile. “I won’t assume that you know everything that’s going on with me…”

“And I won’t assume that you’re about to run screaming?” Lucifer asked drily, and Chloe nodded.

“Exactly. I don’t want to always be walking on eggshells around you, Lucifer. And I don’t want that for you either. Open, honest communication. Yes?” She nodded once, firmly, as if it could be that easy, and Lucifer copied her. “Okay. Could we maybe try this again?” When he hesitated, confused, she pulled him into another kiss, because she could.

“Good morning, Lucifer,” she said, and she heard his breath hitch. “Would you like to come into the precinct with me today to tackle some paperwork?”

Before Lucifer could answer, his phone rang. He glanced at the name, frowning.

“It’s Amenadiel,” he said, taking the call as Chloe waited, wondering if she should leave him to it. She really had to get going.

“What is it, brother?” Lucifer made a “hold that thought” gesture as he listened. Chloe nodded. “Mum? What’s she done now?”

He rolled his eyes, and Chloe’s chest clenched at the unwanted reminder of the supernatural. Lucifer’s Mother. The Goddess of all Creation. She honestly would have had an easier time wrapping her head around that, given that she didn’t have any beliefs to unlearn regarding her, if it weren’t for the fact that she was apparently also _inhabiting the body_ of a smoking hot, high-powered defense attorney. “Well, we can’t let her cock this up. I’m heading over now; you can meet me there.” He hung up, likely without giving Amenadiel a chance to answer, before turning back to Chloe with a grimace.

“Right, something’s come up.” He paused, and Chloe watched him process the fact that there was nothing he needed to keep from her any more, then hesitate again, clearly at a loss as to where to start. She decided to throw him a bone.

“Your Mom?” she asked pointedly, and Lucifer nodded.

“Yes. She’s…”

“Charlotte Richards. Kinda,” Chloe finished. “I know a bit. Maze told me.”

“I shudder to think. Well, it’s difficult to explain…”

“Maybe just the basics for now? We’ve both got places to be,” Chloe suggested.

“Right you are,” Lucifer agreed. “Allow me but a moment to make myself fit for public consumption and I shall see you out,” he said. It wasn’t quite a question. Chloe hesitated for an instant. There was a part of her that balked at the idea of waiting on Lucifer when she was already running late, but another, larger part hushed it. She could definitely sympathize with wanting to prolong their time together.  
She nodded. “Okay.”

Lucifer gave her an oddly artless smile that made her stomach swoop.

“I won’t be a minute,” he reassured her, already moving towards the closet. “Have a drink.” He disappeared down the hall.

Chloe had no intention of taking him up on his offer, of course, but she settled down on the piano bench to wait. In less time than she would have believed, Lucifer was back, impeccable in a navy blue blazer and crisp white shirt. She blinked.

“I thought that was just… y’know, a figure of speech,” she said, rising. Even if she had poured herself a drink, she would hardly have had enough time to finish it before he reappeared. “Did you use super speed or something?” Lucifer chuckled, shaking his head.

“It’s the height of rudeness to keep a lady waiting,” he said flippantly. At her look, he dropped the act with a tiny shrug. “I’ve been dressing myself since the beginning of time, darling,” he reminded her. “It stands to reason that I’d have it down to an exact science by now. No “super speed” required.” His eyes were dark and soft as he watched her reaction. They were both feeling out this new dynamic.

“Right,” Chloe said, because she believed him now, the fact of the age gap between them boggling her mind the way it always did before she managed to shift it aside. “So, what did Amenadiel want?” she prompted him, casting about for a marginally safer topic, leading the way to the elevator.

“We’ve been searching for… an artifact that we have reason to believe is here on Earth,” Lucifer answered, as the doors closed behind them. “I’ll explain what it is later; right now, all you need to know is that it’s celestial and dangerous for humans.”

Chloe nodded, absorbing this, trying not to get distracted by the close proximity of his body in the enclosed space.

“In any case, Mother believes she’s found the final piece, and she’s about to strike a deal for it with one of her clients. But she hasn’t adapted to life on Earth as well as my brother believes she has, and so I have to go keep an eye on her to make sure everything goes smoothly.”

Chloe nodded again as they exited the elevator, thinking as she did so that she was looking forward to Lucifer’s explanations making far more sense now. The relief was evident in Lucifer’s voice too, knowing that they were finally on the same page. Chloe thought about how she would likely have reacted to that explanation only a few days before: a tolerant eye roll and a _whatever; I have to get to work_.   

“I’m sorry,” she said abruptly, and stopped walking. Lucifer, a few steps ahead, looked back in apparent perplexity.

“Whatever for, Detective?” Out in the real world, they were back to her title. She didn’t know what to say. _Sorry for never believing you? Sorry for always being so dismissive?_  

“You were always telling the truth,” she said. “And I just… shut you down all the time.”

“Apology accepted,” Lucifer said, elated. “It’s gratifying to see you taking some responsibility for your disbelief.” Though Chloe could hear the real appreciation in his voice, she still rolled her eyes. _Same old Lucifer_.

“So anyway, I have to get to work, and you have to go check on your Mom.” She tried to get them back on track, marvelling at how… normal the whole thing sounded. To an outsider, there would be nothing extraordinary about the exchange at all. Maybe they really could do this. “Let me know if anything comes up, and I’ll see you later?”

Lucifer nodded, looking at her with a sort of disguised wonder. “Later, then,” he agreed, heading for the door to the underground parking lot.

Chloe was having none of it. “Wait a minute, you,” she said, catching his hand to pull him back.

“Detective?” Lucifer’s bewilderment was plain. Chloe pulled him in for a kiss, which he returned after a moment’s hesitation. She was forced to end it, which she did regretfully.

“Human ritual,” she explained cheekily. “Have a good day, Lucifer.”

Lucifer looked startled. Chloe chose to focus on how adorable his confusion was rather than how much her heart ached for him. “Ah… you too?” he said tentatively, and Chloe grinned and patted his arm.

“There we go. You’ll get used to it.”

“I sincerely doubt that,” Lucifer said, looking her over once more before he left.

Chloe caught herself looking after him and shook herself before walking to her car. Her boyfriend the Devil. Just when she thought her life couldn’t get any crazier.

Perhaps it was unwise, now that she knew there was Someone up there listening in, but she thought of the way Lucifer had looked in bed this morning, how utterly adored he’d made her feel, and she couldn’t help thinking: _Bring it on._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up - "Sympathy for the Goddess," featuring Deckerstar and Chloe knowing the truth! Thanks for reading!


End file.
